


Deviation for Dummies

by SpicyAngst



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (sometimes), Alcohol, Angst, Blood, Connor POV, Drug Use, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Hank POV, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Post-Game, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, Violence, android/human relationships, consistantly and constantly distracted connor, forced to work together, lots of thirium
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-05-29 07:23:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15068078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyAngst/pseuds/SpicyAngst
Summary: RK800 #313 248 317 - 52, or 'Connor', has returned to the DPD permanently, having earned his freedom from Cyberlife and it's oppression. All over the US, androids are gaining their own freedom, and the rights they fought for. Connor is adjusting to his deviancy and the new issues and concerns it presents. But after moving in with Lieutenant Anderson, Connor and his partner are met with a new change, as if they both hadn't had enough.  With no access to the replacements for Connor, it is imperative that the most valuable asset isn't lost in action. Fortunately, a young officer with a strange disposition is willing to help.Missing persons cases and android homicides are rising up all over Detroit, and Hank and Connor will need all the help they can get. If only Connor's stupid, newfound feelings for his medic could stop getting in the way of him doing his job.





	1. six in the morning

The doors of the Detroit Police Department were opened as wide as they’d go from the day androids were given the base rights they deserved. DPD needed all the help they could. Anti-android staff were retiring and quitting every day, those who didn’t became more and more irritable. Fights broke out between both human and autonomous officers more often. Of course, open discrimination was no stranger to any employed android. It was almost another kick in the face to know they’d been given the rights and not the respect to carry on.

 

Though, despite deviating, Connor was not the kind of android to let those kinds of things affect his job.

 

Walking out into the desk lined room, Connor took a moment to look around. Most of the aforementioned desks were empty and cleared off, only about five occupants. Quieter than usual. Detective Reed must be out for an assignment. Lieutenant Anderson passed him, walking purposefully toward the Captain’s office.

 

_//Memory Loading…//_

 

The android thought back to a few hours earlier. Four months, four days and nineteen hours ago, Connor moved into the Anderson residence, with the new android right’s laws permitting select models into certain paying jobs. As the lieutenant's partner, Connor wasn’t required to do much additional pushing to keep the job. A bit of paperwork was nothing the android couldn’t handle.

 

The morning started off as low energy as always, Hank’s usual lifestyle preference. His usual pot of coffee, black with one spoonful of sugar and only in certain cups. Connor was still trying to identify the reason behind the sentiment of the specific mugs. Besides that, the android remembered the stinging smell of Hank’s favorite scotch whiskey that remained after the night before and powering up again to find Sumo’s jowls and slimy drool sliding down his neck. Connor let out a startled yelp, gently pushing the heavy mastiff off his chest, worried the affectionate dog would cause his chest cavity to cave in. Of course, the cloudy saliva was another motivator to get the android up and at ‘em.

 

“...Sumo. Please!” He groaned, his voice fluctuating as the rest of him woke up. Various diagnostics popped up in front of him like ads, alerting him of the dent in his ‘belly’ and the sound of clinking not far away from him. Hank couldn’t be awake, could he? Meanwhile, Sumo continued to rest his massive head on his chest, letting out a deep huff in the android’s face. A fond smile broke out over Connor’s face a moment. Sumo was lucky he liked dogs.

 

Laughter from the other end of the couch caused the android to sit up.

 

“ _Good_ dog, Sumo,” Hank called from the kitchen, glancing through the kitchen at the slowly awakening android. His partner stood in a grimy tee shirt and sweatpants, lazily holding a pill bottle and an empty mug. Homemade, terribly unhealthy hangover remedies. Connor’s eyes individually blinked a moment, adjusting to the bright kitchen light. This was loudly interrupted by Sumos late ‘ _BOOF_!’ in response.

 

“Good morning, Lieutenant Anderson…” He began checking for any more internal issues. “I never thought I’d see the day you woke up before me.”

 

“Never thought androids could sleep…” Hank paused before grunting, “You oughta know Sumo usually sleeps there when he doesn’t steal _my_ bed.”

 

Connor looked around the room, taking in the familiar details. The mail on the doorstep Hank refused to let Connor open out of spite. ‘ _Who sends mail anyway? It’s 2039_.’ The obnoxious ‘shk-k-k-k’ of sprinklers in the front yard that Connor was all too familiar with. His own faint pumping and whirring from his awakened inner workings. He pulled himself out from under the dog’s rolls of fur and fat, patting Sumo’s back and getting to his feet. The dog got up and followed his plastic bed eagerly.

 

“Well,” He explained, “You’d let a computer or a phone sleep, correct? That or the device falls ‘asleep’ on its own. I can turn myself off in a mock-sleep, or dormant state. This gives my systems a bit to cool off, and internally reflect on my findings and accomplishments for the day. I believe Cyberlife included this feature for purposes of infiltration, so I could be less conspicuous. Or possibly for guarding sleeping humans in the event of an overnight case. Though I am still faintly aware of my surroundings, as one feature of this mock-sleep ability is to sense imminent danger.” He walked into the kitchen, making a beeline for the sink to cleanse his suit of dog saliva. “Apparently, Sumo’s weight does not qualify as imminent danger.” He stared at the lieutenant as he worked. “I thought a night without waiting for you to wake would be an interesting experience. Perhaps ‘sleeping’ can get me more in touch with my deviancy.”

 

“Right. I get it. Didn’t need you to recite a fucking paragraph on your ‘features,’ or whatever. I guess it’s better than waking up to find you staring at a wall all Blair Witch like. You _seriously_ need to stop that. I almost pissed myself before I got to the bathroom, you looked so damn creepy.” The lieutenant grumbled. “Do you _need_ to sleep? I wouldn’t think so.”

 

“Maybe if I were to overheat, but that’s highly unlikely,” Connor dismissed, scrubbing at his shirt collar vigorously. Hank smirked into his mug and got to downing as much of his coffee as he could in one gulp. A discarded partially chewed box of Empty-O’s was knocked over in the process. The detective didn’t seem to mind, leaning against the chipped counter.

 

After taking another long sip, Hank yawned, “You should probably try washing that shit off quicker.”

 

“Right. Captain Fowler wanted us in early today.” Connor remembered, the flashing reminder popping up in front of him. His hands got to scrubbing faster as he asked, “Did he happen to tell you what he needed us for?”

 

Hank shrugged, looking into his mug thoughtfully. “Doubt it’s anything worth waking up at six in the morning.” Their vision panned to the clock on the wall. He glanced at the busy android to say with a grin, “I think I’ll wait a little longer. Just to piss the old guy off, eh?”

 

Connor frowned. He set his jacket down, eyeing the dog circling his feet below.

 

“You shouldn’t risk your job like that, Lieutenant.”

 

“Ah, he wouldn’t even think of losing another advantage. Especially not now. ” Hank walked out the doorway with his mug in his hand, presumably to finish it in the shower. From down the hallway, Connor heard him call, “I’m gonna get ready. Maybe take a nice, _long_ bath. Wouldn’t wanna show up and disappoint Fuckler.” Connor felt a tinge of amusement at the lieutenant’s newly discovered nickname for the captain. He’d been throwing it around in what little conversations he was apart of, just to see if anyone but Connor noticed. Though recently he’d specifically told Connor not to laugh when he used the name, saying it ‘drove people off last time.’ “Make sure you get that crap off before we leave!”

 

The android smirked and flicked out the fully scrubbed jacket skillfully, glancing out the doorway to reply,

 

“Already done.”

 

_//Memory Replayed!//_

  
_Would You Like to Watch Again? [ - **X** \- ] [_ ** _∆_** _]_

* * *

  

Stepping into the Captain’s office could best be described as stepping into a meat freezer. It was cold, quiet and unnecessarily uneasy. Captain Fowler wasn’t exactly the most talkative person of course, and all he ever did in his chilly office was take care of paperwork and assignments. Paired with his desk being right under the overactive air conditioning and seemingly emanating power, it was threatening for some to be stuck inside for long periods of time. When Lieutenant Anderson shut the door behind him, the quiet in there had thickened into a cuttable silence. Like an invisible gelatin. He was quick to catch on that the something he was late for could be… possibly worth waking up at six in the morning.

 

At his powerful desk with his deep-set eyes staring Hank and the android dead on, was a thoroughly pissed Captain Fowler. The lieutenant gulped. Sat in front of him was a young lady, holding in her hands an assortment of documents. When she noticed the new people, she stood to attention, her hands dropping to her sides. Underneath her tattered jacket, Hank noticed the navy blue of an officer’s uniform.

 

_// Scanning Face… //_

 

_Lind, Mary. Born 2/18/2015. Police Officer._

_Criminal record: None._

 

Connor got to taking in her details immediately. Big amber eyes each with astigmatism, and soft features. Approximately 5’4 with one centimeter just to dust the top of her head. Dusty brown hair with no sign of bleach or damage from prior dyeing, only extending its reach to her shoulders. Average in many ways if not for her almost theatrically worried expression. Simple but decidedly pretty, all while fashioning the wide-eyed gaze of a greenhorn rookie. Connor didn’t think he’d seen her anywhere around the precinct before.

 

“Sorry, Jeffrey.” Hank said, not very sorry, ”’Didn’t know we had someone waiting on us.” He looked to be tensing up for a steadily approaching argument, scowling at the Captain with Connor assessing the situation from behind him.

 

Fowler squinted with equal irritation toward the old man and his partner, a clear signal that they were both definitely in big trouble for keeping the two waiting. But that was for another time. The captain then looked back at the woman apologetically. He told her he was sorry for the wait, and introduced her as officer Mary Lind. She’d recently transitioned from recruit to officer, around six months ago. Just before the deviant revolution. According to Fowler, Lind was one of the department’s higher performing employees. A real Tasmanian devil in action, whatever that meant.

 

Contradictory to this introduction, she politely smiled and waved at the newcomers.

 

“Good morning!” She perked. “It’s really great to get to meet you, Lieutenant Anderson. And you’re the lieutenant’s partner?”

 

That pleasant voice surprised Connor once more. Nothing like the female officers he’d met before. People called  _her_ a 'Tasmanian devil'? She seemed too… happy to work as a police officer. Too happy in general. Alerts about any little thing concerning the woman were blipping up all around her good-natured face. Of course, this was probably due to the fact that the few officers and detectives the android had met were either drunkards or assholes, his own partner proudly being both. Regardless, Connor put up an equally as friendly smile and outstretched his hand.

 

“Good morning. My name is Connor. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Lind.”

 

“Oh, Connor?” She asked with a bright smile, “That’s a great name!”

 

Connor blinked, momentarily stunned at this response. He couldn’t quite understand what would be so pleasing about something as simple as a name, especially to creatures as complex as humans.

 

“Y-yes… I suppose it is? Thank you…” He replied with uncertainty. “You have an enjoyable name too.”

 

She beamed back at him, definitely seeming to like that compliment. A moment of mutual hesitation passed before she unsurely reached out and shook hands with him. Connor was surprised yet again, this time at the sudden warmth that seeped into his fingertips, his fingers slightly slipping into her jacket sleeve due to the size of her hands. They were slightly clammy from what Connor assumed was stress. He felt his fingers press gently into her wrist in a not-so-sneaky attempt to check her pulse. Just to check. Which, normally, was not the best thing to do when introducing yourself. He supposed he could have just scanned her vitals like anyone else but where was the entertainment in that? Connor was made to be an investigative android, and he was sure he wanted to know. Her arm tensed up at the soft and fleeting coolness on her arm, the two of them breaking away wordlessly.

 

Just as Connor thought, her faint pulse thudded to a quick beat. The warmth lingered.

 

Alternatively, Hank only gave the lady a gruff nod, keeping focused on Captain Fowler.

 

“It’s nice and all to meet a new addition,” He jutted his scruffy chin toward the young officer. “But I have a feeling that Lind is here for another reason.” Fowler held his gaze, his eyes warning the lieutenant to remain calm and not throw a hissy fit. Connor was aware that Hank tended to do the opposite when it came to these situations.  It was in his nature to have to react quickly and impulsively in the event of a sudden change, as a cop should. Judging by the early timing, and the formal introduction that Hank decimated, this was important. Hopefully, the lieutenant would follow his boss’s orders just this once.

 

The captain began slow.

 

Officer Lind had been assigned to Hank and Connor to work as an aid and extra protection. Hank was definitely still capable, Fowler assured, and he would still get to be in charge. Lind would just have to stay near them in the case of Connor being damaged. Why?

 

There were many complications with Connor staying Hank’s partner. One of these being the unfortunate fact that Connor was literally irreplaceable. Winning Connor’s freedom from the previous owners of Cyberlife had taken lots of paperwork and persuasion of his sentience. Cyberlife in general no longer supplied DPD with RK800s, and if Connor were to be damaged or deactivated in an accident, the department would lose one of their most important assets. There was already a lack of staff. There was absolutely _no_ losing Connor if they could help it.

 

This was where Lind came in.

 

“Officer Lind’s mother, Monica S. Lind, was part of the design team at Cyberlife.” Connor began searching the internet. He was greeted by an older looking woman with deep brown curls, Connor estimated she was just a little younger than Hank. “She retired two years ago. Lind’s mother owned several androids, and passed all her know-how of android anatomy and first aid to her daughter.” All eyes in the room fell on Officer Lind, who was looking a little bashful. “She's been tested to see her worth and passed _easy_. Plus, Officer Lind has the capabilities of a well-trained officer.”

 

“So, what-- you’re telling me this Lind kid is gonna be Connor’s… 'doctor'?”

 

Lind shook her head, piping up,

 

“U-um, 'medic' might be a better way to put it. At least that's what the captain said it’d most be like.”

 

“Right,” Fowler agreed. “So do you see what I’m saying?”

 

“I see that you’re dropping another fucking _responsibility_ on my ass.” Hank snapped, “You got me stuck with one kid already, I’m not gonna babysit another ‘asset,’ Jeff! God, it’s taken me months just to get used to being around Dipshit over there.”

 

Dipshit’s brows knit.

 

“You think I can handle more day-slash-night-care!?”

 

“Excuse me but as the captain, I expect you to!” Fowler shot back at him. “It’s not like you have to deal with another android. Miss Lind is, I’m sure, a capable woman who doesn’t need to be taken care of. She’s a big girl, Hank.” Officer Lind suppressed a snort of laughter, despite the intensity of the conversation. “And, uh, you never were required to care for it.” Fowler added with a tiny smile, “Taking care of an android is your own doing.”

 

Hank grimaced, placing his hands on either side of the Captain’s desk. Maybe cementing himself to the ground would lessen the impending dread he felt creeping up behind him. It was true that Hank had an unfortunate habit of fathering Connor around, most of the department having seen it first hand on multiple occasions. ‘Connor, you’ll hurt yourself,’ or ‘Do you need help with that, Connor?’ were frequent remarks of the stressed lieutenant. The claps on the shoulder and constant need to be around the android during high-intensity cases. Hank would occasionally even refer to the android as the forbidden ‘s’ word. God forbid anyone should mention it, lest they wanted Hank to immediately go into a major fit of defensiveness and proceed to stomp away with the happy robot tailing behind cluelessly.

 

“But why?” He groaned. “Why're you making such a big ass deal out of everything? And so early..."

 

"You'd give me grief if I sent her alone anyway. It was better to get it over with, knowing your bitchiness."

 

"Actually," Hank began with a growl, "More importantly, if she’s so fucking new, why didn't you find a more ‘experienced’ officer? Like a detective?” Hank’s air quotes were wide enough to stretch across the Captain’s desk.

 

“Because you’ll need her if the androids going to remain your partner! Or do you understand ‘because I said so’ better?” Fowler demanded. Hank only stared back at him resentfully, convinced he was doomed to end up worse for wear in some way or another. “Since you’re all here and you two are usually in charge of these kinds of things, I’ve got a little bonding assignment I need you all to go accomplish.” Connor perked up a bit. “We’ve had two calls for android homicides and a potentially dangerous anti-android protest--”

 

“More of ‘em?” Hank interrupted. “We had to take care of a domestic case with a few androids just yesterday.”

 

“And there's more on the way I'm sure,” Fowler confirmed tiredly. “Take your pick, and I’ll send Connor the coordinates before you leave.”

 

Lind suddenly looked surprised. She stuttered,

 

“R-right now, sir?”

 

Fowler looked at her as if she’d spat in his face.

 

“Yes, _right now_. Good job keeping up, Lind.” Lind shut her mouth, laying a hand behind her neck. “Anyways. The nearest homicide is on 14th street. We have officers at both locations who can give you a quick debriefing.” Lind looked to be preparing herself for whatever was to come, taking deep breaths and looking impatiently toward the door. A small, odd smile was fighting its way over her face as Fowler spoke. Connor confusedly thought she looked like a child all too eager to ride a terrifying roller coaster. Though the reason was incredibly unclear. Just about everything this strange officer did was confusing him, he thought. Was it desperation to prove herself or perhaps an odd way of expressing fear? He’d read somewhere that humans often go into a state of hysteria in stressful situations.

 

Hank groused in loud annoyance, apparently just as impatient as Lind.

 

“Let’s take the nearest one, then. A homicide could probably wake me up a little better than caffeine,” Connor opened his mouth to inform the lieutenant that if Hank ingested any more caffeine, he may double over before they could even get out the door. He was interrupted before he could speak. “You coming with us, rookie?” Officer Lind stared at him for a moment, her face slackening from its previous grin. It took her a moment to respond.

 

“Like, in your car? In your car with you guys?”

 

“Ugh. No, on a fucking tandem bicycle.” Hank replied.

 

_// Scanning for sarcasm… //_

_// Sarcasm found! //_

Connor made a note to remember to scan for such figures of speech more often.

 

Lind nodded, flashing a bright smile.

 

“That would be really nice! Thank you, lieutenant.”

 

“Don’t mention it. Just hurry up and get in the car before they solve the case without us.”

 

Officer Lind started telling the Captain goodbye, setting the papers in her hand on his desk, and gathering up her belongings. The rude reply from before hadn’t seemed to affect her at all, despite her sensitive pretenses.

 

“Shall we be on our way then?” Lind asked, dusting off her jacket.

 

The two men looked back and forth between the officer and each other.

 

Hank turned away first.

 

“Let’s get going.” He said. “C’mon, Connor.”

 

The android jogged out of the room after him, holding the door open for Lind.

 

“Thank you, sir.” She said with her bright smile. Then she walked out of the room to catch up with the lieutenant.

 

Sir? For a good minute, Connor stood frozen in the Captain’s office with his arms still holding the door open for no one in particular. Staring after her with his mouth slightly open in a strange daze. He didn’t think he’d ever been called sir before. Not even as a 'joke'. Most of the time he was just called an 'it' and regarded as a simple machine. He was used to that. Definitely not to something as empowering as 'sir.' He found it... kind of her.

 

“I don’t remember saying I was coming with you.” Captain Fowler announced, trying to get back to his work. It was a bit hard to focus with Connor weirdly creeping on the unaware officer.

 

“Right…” Connor murmured, not taking his eyes off the two humans. They were almost out the door. “I’m sorry, Captain. Have a nice day.”

 

The captain was left alone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. creep

Car rides with Connor were usually very quiet save for The Knights of the Black Death blaring. He kept to himself after his first few rides with the lieutenant, figuring out that the car was one of Hank's happy places. That is unless he happened to see a bird flying by the window, or a dog outside. To which he would sit up like a board and loudly comment, ‘Hank look at the puppy!’ as though Hank hadn’t already seen it coming from down the street.  Some days, the same principle applied to everything that would annoy the shit out of the lieutenant. The car ride with the Lind kid was no different. Only Connor seemed to be forcing himself to stay quiet, his mouth set in a line straighter than his jacket creases. The only indication that Connor was behaving any different than usual was the fact that there’d been at least two dogs that’d passed by the car with their owners in tow. Neither of them had been acknowledged.

 

Hank wasn’t sure he wanted to say anything with Lind so close by. In the backseat, the cheery officer was bouncing in place, apparently overjoyed to investigate a homicide with two strangers. For a cop, she certainly didn’t act it. Hank grimaced, looking back at the road. Like Connor, Hank was slightly put off by her happy demeanor. It was part of the reason the lieutenant had acted so harshly at the station. That and Hank was well aware that he didn’t do good with young people. They usually pissed him off.

 

But ‘it is better to try something than turn up your nose at first glance,’ as Connor once put it. Funny how a conversation about eating more vegetables could turn into some valid advice. Hank grunted with laughter a moment, as his gaze flitted back and forth between his partner and the new… whatever she was supposed to be to the two of them.

 

“So uh… You certainly seem pretty happy about this.”

 

Two pairs of eyes looked at him curiously.

 

“Sorry, Lieutenant?” Lind asked.

 

“I _said_ you seem pretty happy.” He repeated, his voice slightly tightening.

 

“Oh.” She shifted in her seat. “I’m happy, yeah! It's kind of weird being in here.”

 

Connor looked back at her.

 

“Weird how, Miss Lind?”

 

Miss Lind’s face fell a bit. “Oh, uh… You don’t _have_ to keep calling me that. Mary is fine, sir.”

 

His LED whirred yellow, his face oddly twitching as he noted this new change. “Okay. Weird how, Mary?”

 

Mary began to think as well.

 

Hank kept an eye on his mirror, watching this little exchange interestedly. Since the beginning of the car ride, they were both stealing looks back at each other as if they were both a different alien species. A weird game to see who could watch the other longer without being seen. Connor was definitely winning. It was childish and a little creepy, but sort of funny to the older man.

 

“It’s weird seeing you two in person, I think.” Mary murmured. “Like meeting idols almost? People are always impressed with both of you. And you have a really old looking car too… It’s cool.” Her fingers carefully traced the seat’s leather in quiet awe, as if it may crumble apart.

 

“Well then try to respect it while you’re here, this car’s old enough to be your car’s grandpa.” Hank joked, questioning if it really _was_ that old looking.

 

“Lieutenant,” The android reminded, “Cars have neither genders nor familial relations.”

 

“Figure of speech, Connor.” Hank sighed.

 

“Oh.”

 

Mary laughed lightheartedly, muttering something incoherent about lightning queens. As she did, Hank took the opportunity to whisper under his breath,

 

“What's going on with you?”

 

The android looked up at his partner.

 

“Hm? Nothing, lieutenant.”

 

Hank made a humming noise. He wasn’t good at lying when Hank was involved.

 

“You’re playing some weird peek-a-boo with Lind. Hardly said anything since we got in the car. And you didn’t say anything about the dogs we passed. You always say something.”

 

“I don’t know _why_ I didn’t.” He said, almost irritated. The android sunk into his seat with a small frown. “It’s easier not to say anything, but I worry if I’m being rude.”

 

“Hey, I’m supposed to be the socially challenged one,” Hank muttered.

 

Silence.

 

“So what are you, then?” Hank loudly asked, his hands flexing over the wheel. They turned onto 14th street, where at the end of the road there were several clusters of blinking red and blue. He heard a tiny noise of amazement. “Do I call you the medic? Or another partner? What’m I supposed to say around the ‘office’?”

 

Mary glanced at him through the rear-view, leaning forward in her seat to watch the light show.

 

“I don’t really know, Lieutenant Anderson…” She admitted, a bit preoccupied with her staring. “I was hoping--”

 

“Hank.” He corrected, “You don’t get to ignore your own name rules. Only certain special assholes like Connor and Captain Fuckler really ever call me ‘lieutenant anyway.” A faint cackle of laughter could be heard behind the lieutenant.

 

“D-did you just c-call Mr. Fowler...‘Captain F-F-Fuckler?’” She asked through her snickering. The way she said the swear word sounded like it took an actual amount of effort. Hank grinned. Finally some nonautomated recognition for his comedic prowess. "That's freaking g-great!" Mary giggled. Connor smiled at the joke too, unable to help himself.

 

He suddenly began to twitch in his seat, his LED rapidly blinking from blue to yellow. When this ceased, he turned to the lieutenant to say,

 

“Speaking of the captain, lieutenant, he’s sent me the apartment number. He left a message. Would you like me to read it to you?”

 

“Good.” Hank decided to ignore his question. “He’s right on time for once.”

 

The car came to a slow stop beside the sidewalk, just behind another car. There was a light sprinkle of rain, the pavement outside being freshly darkened. Hank didn’t seem to mind as much as Mary when he heard a faint scraping noise. He missed the suddenly shocked look she threw him, getting out of the car in sync with the android. Her worry lessened when she saw the flashing lights closer up. The young officer helped herself out of the car, running off excitedly to the entrance. Fellow officers circled the building, talking to one another and darting in and out of the building. This certainly wasn’t the first time she’d had to deal with a crime scene, but never one so big. Never one so complex and interesting. Involving an android? Only in her dreams, though of course, it was saddening to think about the death of any creature. The only places she saw really even  _saw_ androids were at the precinct and on the streets, and of course at home when she was younger-- but then again, didn’t most people?

 

All in all, to her, the entire experience was a treat.

 

She leaned up against the police tape with interest, pushing through the tiny crowd that had congealed around the entrance of the apartment complex. In the middle of a loose ring of police cars, were several officers talking with possible witnesses and neighbors. They hurried around this circle of concrete with serious faces and diligent gazes, some of them carrying bags of evidence. All of them knew where to go, and each of them had a goal. She was in the same rank as these guys?  _What a bunch of inspirations_ , she thought in amazement. All memory of being told to stick with the group she'd been assigned to had conveniently vanished. On her tiptoes, she carefully vaulted herself over the barrier and shook off her jacket to show she wasn’t committing a crime. The navy blue uniform stood out in the rain. Mary fished her hat out of her large jacket pocket, making a show of smoothly crowning herself. She was a _real_ cop now, regardless of how out of breath she was trying not to trip over the yellow obstacle of death. Since when did anyone put up police tape so high?

 

“Oh god. What the hell is she doing?” Hank muttered as they lost sight of her, jogging to catch up with the hyper new addition.

 

Meanwhile, Connor was busying himself with checking around the perimeter of the building. It was closed off by a wire fence, separating the building from a public parking lot and a burger joint.  There weren’t any clues around save for litter sprinkled around in the grass and asphalt all around the property. There _were_ tire marks in the mud outside the complex, dragging onto the pavement and making crude brown lines.

 

_Suspect had an accomplice?_

 

How people wouldn’t have seen a car with wheels those size hauling itself onto the lawn, Connor couldn’t answer. It couldn’t have been there long. He couldn’t quite track whether or not there were footprints without licking every square inch on the property and unnerving every person who lived there, so he ruled out that path of investigation. His eyes shifted heavenward, fixing his gaze upon the busiest window and the shadows flitting in and out of view through the curtains.

 

And so he made his way to the thirty-second apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

The door to the apartment was wide open, among others. Frightened neighbors were talking to officers in the hallway, stealing wary glances at the presumed scene of the homicide. There was police tape to spare around the doorframe, which Connor fluidly maneuvered himself through. As officers buzzed around, there in the middle of it all was the body of an android. Connor made his way through the apartment living room, taking a gander.

 

It was a male android. A WB200 model, horribly dented and disfigured. The haunting memory of the runaway android ‘Rupert’ he’d let go free popped into Connor’s head. All the android was missing was the hat. Connor identified him as ‘Noah Roald’ from his driver’s license. On his temple, there was no sign of an LED to prove it was an android, but the still slightly damp stains the carpet proved otherwise. Deviants today usually had their LEDs removed, to avoid conflict and appear more alive. There were several blows to his stomach area, some of them breaking his artificial skin.  Embedded in his chest, directly over his thirium pump, were two bullets from a handgun. Judging from the shape of the wounds, these were both silenced.

 

_Neighbors didn’t hear the gunshot._

 

Along with the blue blood, there were a few smears of rusty red across the android's face. Connor took the samples to his lips for analyzation. Human blood, type AB, male adult. And another human’s blood, type B, male adult. Both samples were five hours old, being lost by their owners at exactly 7:06 am EST. _Two_ people, along with the possible accomplice in front of the complex. He grinned, realizing that he would be able to track at least one of the owners from these samples. There were no fingerprints on the body, suggesting that the humans wore gloves. This had to have been planned a long while in advance.

 

This was… troubling. DPD had long been suspecting an underground system of anti-android protestors swapping information on who to target. Half of Detroit seemed to be divided on whether android rights should be legal or shouldn’t. Equal support for each side. Meaning that both sides had the power to affect one another in drastic and potentially violent ways. There was very little chance, about 19%, that this murder was simply acted upon out of coincidence. If there really was even a small system targeting androids, there could be an even bigger issue at hand which the department would have to quickly end. There would have to be some unseen link between these cases. So, what about Noah here had gotten him killed?

 

Connor looked around. All around him there were signs of a struggle. The couch was stained with thirium. There were multiple books, papers, and plates shoved roughly off of all the surrounding surfaces. Connor gathered that the struggle began in the kitchen, and made its way into the living room for the big finale. The glass coffee table in the middle of the room was smashed in. Connor’s expression tightened. He took another quick look at the body. Wedged between his back and the floor were several shards of glass. He had been thrown or fell onto the table rather violently. The shine of blue that continued to dribble over the glass gave Connor an unfamiliar chill up his spine. After taking a quick taste-sample of the thirium, he rose from where he knelt to investigate the trashed apartment further.

 

Minutes later, the lieutenant emerged from the door.

 

“You seen a stupid looking android in here, anywhere?” Hank asked around. He’d let Connor out of his sight for way too long trying to deal with Mary stopping to ask questions every few seconds. Eventually, he just let the girl run off and do what she wanted. Not his problem. But just to be safe… He needed to find Connor before she could get Hank in trouble.

 

Most of the officers said they saw him in the bedroom, which the lieutenant quickly made his way to. Standing in the corner of the room, holding a large picture frame, Connor looked to be in deep thought. Suddenly, it felt like there was steam coming out of Hank’s ears.

 

“What the fuck are you doing walking off like that?” Hank hissed, grabbing the android's arm. “I had to handle _Skippy_ over there without you! Minute she gets out of that damn car she turned into a speed demon with a megaphone. It’s like she knew every ham-and-egger that walked past us, I was about to lose my shit on the kid and I’ve only fuckin’ known her like _what--_ a couple hours?!” The rant went on for a few more minutes about Mary’s incessant talkativeness and interest in everything she saw. Apparently, in the half an hour Hank and Connor had been separated, the officer had managed to get her leg stuck in police tape _twice_ , knocked over three safety cones, and stopped to ask anyone they passed if they’d seen anything ‘out of the ordinary ‘round here.’ Some of the people she asked didn’t even live there. Hank speculated the hyperactivity as part of the reason for her Tasmanian title.

 

Though Connor seemed preoccupied.

 

“What? What’s wrong with you now?” Hank asked, letting go of his arm and tapping him in concern. He looked over the android’s shoulder. The cracked picture showed a happily smiling couple at a restaurant. In tape underneath was, ‘first night freed’. Hank’s eyebrows began to untangle themselves from each other.

 

“These two are androids. The female or ‘Charlotte’ is downstairs talking to officers. The male, who calls himself Noah, is dead in the living room.” Connor explained. His eyes weren’t as much sad as they were disappointed. “They were together in some way. Noah is a pro-android rights author and was writing a book on his experience as an android at Jericho. He was part of the peaceful protests.”

 

“The dickhead who killed him must have an issue with people living their own damn lives…” Hank muttered.

 

“There were at least three humans involved. Unless the smears on the body just happened to appear on his face.”

 

Hank rested his elbow on the androids shoulder, taking the picture frame in his hands, “What makes you say that?”

 

“There weren’t any fingerprints on the body, so it momentarily confused me.”

 

“Gloves, then?”

 

“That’s what I thought.” The lieutenant set the picture on an armoire, staring at it a little more. His elbow fell from Connor’s shoulder as the android backed up to scan the room one more time. "Noah was specifically targetted for his involvement." The blunt knife-slashes in the bed’s mattress and the knocked down books. All of the closet’s scant contents were strewn across the room. “But I also believe they planned to kill the female as well. The humans were definitely looking for something.” He said.

 

“Well... Do whatever then. Come and tell me when you're done. I’ll be downstairs keeping an eye on Roger fucking Rabbit. I swear she makes me nervous with how fast she can run her mouth...”

 

After processing who in the world Hank was referring to, the android suddenly blurted out, “I-I’ll join you, lieutenant!” Out the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a tiny glitch of letters. “I need to ask the female android a few questions, anyway. I might as well.”

 

“Alright... Not like you really need to tell me anymore,” Hank laughed. “You’ll follow me around either way.”

 

As Connor fell into step next to him, he laughed again, asking with a grin, “You sure you don’t just wanna creep on Lind?”

 

 

“ _No_ . I do not.” Connor said, almost to himself. He adjusted his tie. “Like I said, I need to assess the female android on what happened and get more information to _better_ understand everything. Nothing more. And that's not very appropriate, lieutenant. I-I don’t ‘ _creep_ ’.”

 

Another bark of laughter.

 

“Alright, don’t get your dick in a knot, Connor. You don’t have to tell me twice, wouldn’t wanna upset you and get on your bad side.”

 

Connor squinted, more bothered than usual at the condescending comment. Perhaps he'd sounded too defensive; which Connor was definitely _not_ being. Because there was no need to be. Obviously. He admitted he found Mary strangely intriguing, though like he'd said in the car, he had no idea why he couldn't elaborate on this strange feeling she gave him. There wasn't much left to do but stare. He decided to keep his mouth shut until they got to the elevator.

 

Something had bothered him after the end of the conversation. Something that he needed to know. Once he pushed the button for the right floor, he looked the lieutenant with a puzzled expression.

 

“Excuse me, Hank?”

 

“You’re excused. What?”

 

“Who is ‘Roger Rabbit’?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while, I hope it came out right. Thank you for reading!


	3. alleyway exchange

Somehow Hank wasn’t surprised to see Mary was sitting on a stone bench with the currently sobbing android of interest.

She could have gone to help with patrol, or with taking samples like a good little greenie. But she’d decided to do the one thing she’d proven to be the worst at. Talking to the one person that was actually important to the goddamn case.

Off to the side of the apartment’s entrance, they were at an acquaintance's distance from one another, one of them nervously fidgeting and patting the others back as it heaved. The other of the two was an AJ700 model with undone hair. Charlotte.

Charlotte would not seem anything like an android to any old passerby. She had plenty of freckles and moles. She was average and Connor was sure that when her face wasn’t scrunched in despair it was pleasant. In fact, the only outward indication of her even being an android was the circle dents in her temple. A clear sign of a messy LED removal.

The both of them looked like two personified interpretations of a ‘mess.’ Connor looked back at Hank, who was trying to catch his breath after Connor jogged the rest of the way out the door. There’s the third, he thought with a small chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Hank shot.

“Nothing, Lieutenant.”

“Y’know... not everyone has the luxury of never running out of energy.”

“Of course not.” Connor agreed, “Humans must take breaks in between running to avoid lactate building up from lack of oxygen. This creates the discomforting feeling of fatigue.” He let Hank rest on his shoulder a moment before the lieutenant retreated back to holding onto his knees. He was too winded to tell Connor to shut up. “Of course you wouldn’t have as much difficulty running if not for your unhealthy habits.”

He raised an argumentative finger Connor’s way.

“And you don’t have to Forrest Gump it everywhere you go, Connor.”

Hank had used that allusion before in a situation similar, though not to change the subject.

“It was a jog, lieutenant.”

“That was a full-on run and you know it.”

The android decided to ignore this. They’d come downstairs for a reason. He let Hank finish panting and made his way to the two messes.

As he approached them, he overheard a conversation through the AJ700’s barely contained sobs.

“...can’t judge every judgemental human the comes our way, Officer.” She had a bitter voice, short and taught with grief. “W-we had a man just the other day come up to us outside a department store and threaten my life. It’s just the joys of being different.”

Mary looked to consider that. That was what made these cases so hard. There was so much hate directed toward androids as is, that it was hard to take the real threats from the passing lashes. Widespread, and viral enough to make it a concern but difficult to properly pick out.

It seemed Mary got more offtopic with each question, leading Connor to believe this was not an interrogation. She interestedly asked the androids favorite color, and how she was feeling. Personal and distracting questions to which the android did her best to keep it together for. For the few that triggered another spasm of distress, Mary panicked and resorted to patting the androids back and asking more offtopic things. During the one incident Connor was present for, she recommended that the android check out the Crime Victim Compensation center that the DPD offers help for both the lost and those related to the victims. It was doubtful they provided services for both humans and androids but it seemed both of them were just hoping for the best outcome.

He noticed how she relaxed into herself as the new widow calmed down. A momentarily relieved expression that caused her to sigh no matter how many times she made the face. He noticed how she smiled patiently for each of the answers she was given.

“O-oh. Hello?”

He’d been staring again.

Another idolizing pair of eyes fixed on him attentively.

“Lind!”

Hank scrambled after his partner, a little pissed at the two reasons he’d had to make such a perilous journey. Concurrently, one of them was so scared they looked to have narrowly avoided falling off the bench.

“Y-yes, sir?!” She asked, board straight.

“What’re you doing bothering this lady? I thought I said no more interviews until Connor was done?”

“S-she needed someone to talk to,” Mary protested, “You know it’s usually considerate to comfort someone who lost a loved one—!” Mary felt a slender palm ghost itself over her hand. The female android said in her broken voice,

“M-my name is Charlotte. Officer Mary was just speaking with me about… Noah. You were just up there looking over him, weren’t you?”

“That’s correct,” Connor affirmed. He knelt down to their level with a patient look.

“Hello, Mary.” He softly greeted.

“Hello, Connor.” She softly replied.

He held out his hand to Charlotte as Hank helped Mary to her feet and got to reprimanding her for working up the android.

“You are ‘Connor.’” Charlotte noted, shaking his hand. They both watched her walk off.

“Yes. I am the investigative android sent by the DPD. That is my partner, Lieutenant Anderson.” He gestured to the lieutenant. “And you are Mr. Roald’s wife. In a moment we will both need to ask you a few questions.” She nodded, slowly willing herself to wipe away her tears. Once again he was interrupted by the lieutenant’s call.

“Actually come over here a sec! ‘Scuse us miss.” He added, dipping his head at Charlotte.

She returned the action.

Hank then turned to his two responsibilities.

“Listen. I’m gonna take care of this one.”

“Of course you are, Lieutenant. It’s your job.”

Hank snapped, “Alone, smart ass.”

The android raised his artificial eyebrows.

“But we’re partners—”

“And you’ve been dragging me around the scene like a sack of dicks all morning. Both of you. I’m gonna pull something trying to dash after you both...” Hank scratched the back of his head, trailing his hand down to try grooming his scraggly beard in vain. “Look. I need you both to do me a favor and _not_ run off so I can _not_ have to go find you. We’ll be out of here pretty soon since Mr. Walking Forensics Lab decided to slurp up all the blood in the damn apartment.”

“H-hold on. Connor you drink b-blood?” Mary questioned, suddenly backing away from the android.

“No. Of course not. I have no need to drink or consume anything. I’m a machine. Hank is referring to my ability to take both blood and thirium samples for analyzation. I can check the samples and figure out the owner, type, biocomponents, and model among other things. It was implemented by Cyberlife for collecting forensic evidence. Don’t be afraid, officer.”

Hank snickered.

“That’s a fancy way of saying he definitely drinks blood.”

Connor turned on his partner, insisting,

“It’s not drinking. It’s analyzing.”

“Whatever. You two,” They perked up in sync. “Stay near me. Or at least make sure you’re somewhere I can get to you because I’m not gonna go looking for any of you. I will leave if you aren’t in my damn sights.” Then, with a labored huff, he turned and went back to go confer with the widow.

Mary looked at her feet.

That awkward silence from the precinct had immediately came back to hang over the two. Both of them were unsure what the exact directions were. What was the procedure? How far was out of Hank’s sights? Should they separate and make themselves useful? Should they both stand here and wait until Hank was finished? If so, how long would that last? Mary wasn’t sure she could handle standing still for an hour. She hadn’t done that since she had to sit vigil with another officer who had the charisma of a piece of granite. Her shoulders ticked at the memory of being cramped in a chilly police car that smelled of dirt and stale pastries with officer Darwin for hours. It was one of the cruelest assignments she’d ever been given. But she couldn’t say that standing around was boring if he was okay with it. She was determined to make a good impression on her priority.

Thankfully, Connor decided he’d try to make conversation first.

“Would you like to walk around, Mary?”

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath. “Oh gosh would I.”

“Would you?” He repeated, a bit confused at her response.

“Oh.” Her mouth twitched at his misinterpretation. “I meant yes. Sorry. With you, I’m assuming?”

“Yes. If you want.” He added.

Mary grinned a little wider.

“Sure, Connor. I’m gonna have to be around you a lot anyway.”

They stood still for a while longer. “So… uh, where to?” Connor surveyed the area. “Perimeter?” She suggested before he could finish. “Maybe we’ll find something!”

“I’ve already finished looking over the perimeter, Officer.”

“Oh. Of course. Right—y. Haha. Y’know the others probably have it covered anyway.” Mary awkwardly backtracked.

 _Oh my god— oh my god, what the hell was_ that _Lind?_

“We can check again. I wouldn’t mind. As long as we’re out of Lieutenant Anderson’s beard.”

Saved! She shuffled in place. “Cool! Great. L-lets go then.”

Perimeter checking with Mary was interesting. She was quick to find anything remotely engaging and never stopped moving. Ever expressive. Never settling down in one place and constantly aware. All the details Connor had noticed eventually stuck out to her like sore thumbs. Each thing Connor noted before, she asked if he’d seen it, (not just seen it, but ‘ _seen_ it,’) to which he reminded her of his earlier trip around. He didn’t seem to mind her curiosity. He even found it amusing, watching her run dutifully to every window and peering into the two abandoned cars they saw.

Soon, a mellow blue light hung over both of their faces, painting a chilly, quiet picture in the filthy back of the complex. Dumpsters both upright and knocked over were placed sparsely around the gaping alleyway, their contents piled high in heaps and sometimes spilling from their metal encasement. Mary was well aware that they were well out of Hank’s sights, though Connor confidently assured her that Hank would come looking for them. He’d worry too much if he even tried to leave them behind. So they continued walking side-by-side in the bulky shadow of everything, the officer’s hands in her pockets. Her heart rate proved she’d come down from her little investigative high since reaching the darkest part of the shadow. The steady breathing was briefly interrupted.

“Hey. Are you cool with this whole thing, Connor?”

“Cool?”

They stepped carefully over a mystery dumpster-puddle.

“Cool.” She repeated. “I didn’t know if you’d be weirded out by some strange girl just joining you and your partner out of the blue as your medical person thing.”

Connor’s LED spun yellow. He effortlessly replied,

“I have no objections to you joining us. I’m very happy to be working with you. I’m also sure you’ll prove to be an excellent addition as a medic.” She smiled to herself at his words.

“Thank you. I-I’m happy about it too.”

A pause. He just kept walking with no expression but that of thought. For a moment Mary just kept her wide eyes fixed carefully on the android. At the station, she recalled his stiff shoulders and the awkward handshake. The gentle press of his fingers to her wrist. It wasn’t meant to be creepy. He’d even looked startled when she pulled away so suddenly. The strange infatuation with learning more made her think... She knew that being the newbie in the room always had to do something with it but was he made to be naturally curious, she wondered? Her mother had worked on an etiquette protocol that was released when she was young, focusing on similar behavioral instincts for certain models. It was made to give androids the opportunity to better care for people and be more inclined to do their specific task. Usually without being asked. A prototype HK400 named Willy was the Lind household’s test droid during that time. He took care of her for a time before he got shipped off to Cyberlife so his pleasant demeanor could be copy-pasted into many others. She was eleven when watched him become a revolutionary piece of Cyberlife’s history. Androids today had their own personalities of course, but the same tendencies they were given. If so, why wasn’t he asking her any questions? Wouldn’t he want to be taking in new information?

“Did you have anything to say other than that?” Connor asked, noticing her strangely intense staring. A small noise of realization left her lips as she felt her heartbeat suddenly quicken at being found out. She forced herself to look somewhere other than his big brown eyes, settling on the tuft of hair in her face.

It seemed they both somewhat had that quiet curiosity about them.

“Uh... Did you?”

He peered at her as she fixed her flyaways back in place. Confusion puckered his brow. He slowed his pace.

“I… well. I didn’t… I didn’t think of anything Miss Lind.” He admitted, looking troubled.

“Oh! I-it’s not like you have to, Connor.” Mary assured him. “You’re fine, dude. I just… You’re the automated equivalent of a detective, right? Usually, detectives wanna know things and stuff. I thought you’d wanna ask...?”

“...Okay.” He murmured, his stroll back to normal speed. A twitch of his eye, a spin of his LED and he asked,

“Where do you usually congregate with your associates and workmates? I don’t recall seeing you around the precinct often.”

She smiled his way.

“Yeah, I never saw you around much either. I hang out well away from you and the lieutenant’s and Captain Fowler’s desks so I can imagine why. I’m obviously no detective.” Mary laughed. “We simpler officers have got a little area near the opposite end of the building where all the people who’re on standby or just chilling take care of paperwork. Once in a while, I’ll come by to get some coffee when our cheap machine breaks and I see you two around. I’m assuming that’ll be less of a rarity now though.”

“Yes. I should hope so.” Connor agreed.

He decided not to comment on how quickly her heart rate picked up at his words.

Ahead of them was the opening of the alley, blocked off by a few broken crates and heavily rusted receptacles. This posed a bit of a concern. After some insisted assistance, Connor hoisted the officer over the blockage. She was as light as she seemed, but he knew there had to be a lean officer somewhere underneath her loose uniform. She’d have to be to have gotten into such a good situation for her rank. It honestly made no difference to him, being given several times the strength of some of the highest performing officers in any of Detroit's current law enforcement positions. Even lifting Sumo was a piece of cake. But Mary was not a saint bernard. A thudding against his palms alerted him that holding her in the air suspended frozen over a dumpster was stressing the officer out. He lurched forward and let her go. A beat against the cold asphalt on the other side. He followed after her with a thunk, grateful for her support when she helped him to his feet.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The alleyway came to a brighter end and lead back into the poorly kept lawn.

Emerging from the dark, Mary embraced the scant warmth the clouded sun offered with a tiny sigh. Strolling beside her, the RK800 peeked over at the bench where Lieutenant Anderson and Charlotte were still speaking. Hank had settled next to her on the very end of the seat. It seemed she’d had shed more tears, her cheeks shining with new slightly blue tracks.

From behind him, he heard the faintest of ‘woahs.’ He turned.

“What?”

“What?” She echoed.

Connor followed her gaze.

Immediately, he was hit with a wave of distaste.

Leaning cooly against their vehicles in the road was a small group of officers, some of them holding coffee. Others were holding paperwork and clipboards. Connor recognized officers Miller, Chen, and Garcia.

Though most regrettable Connor thought, was the ever disheveled Detective Reed.

He was sporting a slightly thinner stubble than usual today, with a fashionable pair of darker eyebags. A coffee in his hand and a frown on his face. Connor turned back to Mary. There she was, staring in noiseless awe of the unimpressive spectacle before her.

At her revered superiors.

He could barely pity her misjudgment before Mary jogged over to the group excitedly, almost skipping. Connor would have to join her before she could make a fool of herself in front of Gavin’s goons. Spite for Gavin steadily held him back.

“Tina~!” Mary sang.

Officer Chen turned around to see her, the woman’s face suddenly lightening at her eagerness.

The watching android’s face creased in astonishment.

“Lind! You little shit, where’ve you been?” The two girls ruffled each other's hair and side hugged, laughing like sisters. “I haven’t seen you in months! I’m assuming you got pretty far, being here for a homicide case?”

Mary was pushed under the older officer’s arm in a loose headlock, not making any attempt to get out of it.

“I did! I’m here as a new partner and an android medic!” She squeaked. Chen raised her eyebrows.

“Damn! Tiny’s growing up.”

“You’re only older by four years you jerk!” Mary protested, now struggling out of Chen’s grasp.

“And taller by five inches!” She put a hand to Mary’s cheek, saying, “This is Officer Mary Lind. She and I know each other through a few cases earlier this year when she was even more of a greenie!”

The officer’s around her greeted her with minor interest, introducing themselves with nods of their head or waves of their hand. Detective Reed merely grunted her way, his slate eyes trained blatantly on her now rumpled hair. Judgingly. She generally wasn’t much of a surprise to them, it seemed. That or all of them found the cheery officer mildly annoying. Despite the lack of contact, Mary seemed to be bursting with excitement. She stayed close to Chen, focusing most of her ecstatic energy on the officer.

Gavin laughed after a moment of indifferent small talk, “Are they really giving first-fucking-aid to androids now? Can’t the ones who care about them just buy another?”

“Yeah, what do you mean android medic? I thought that was specific to people with degrees.” She grinned wider at Mary’s responding huff. “Plus, the only androids here are dead. It’s body's gonna get carted out in an hour.” Chen recalled, looking questioningly at the happy officer.

“Officer Mary.”

She whipped around.

From gracefully behind, Gavin spat out his coffee.

The group jumped away from the detective, all but one unlucky soul.

“ _Reed—_  what the fuck!?” Officer Miller piped, now covered in cigarette scented bean juice. The detective wiped his scratchy mouth on his sleeve, pointing a finger at the android.

“What the hell is Plastic doing here?”

“Nice to see you as well, Detective.” Connor flatly responded.

Gazes warily shifted between the two tense men.

“I’ve gotta make sure he doesn’t die, Detective Reed. If I’m here why wouldn’t he be?”

“Ohh.” Chen realized, “DPD can’t afford to lose its perfect pet android. And you’re the mechanical prodigy.” Mary bashfully grinned at the title, nodding.

“The department is low on personnel as it is,” Connor explained. “Mary is going to be making sure my body isn’t too heavily damaged. There were no other officers with her expertise. She’ll also be serving as backup for the lieutenant and I.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Gavin interrupted. “Anyways, you mean you essentially know how to patch this tin can up if he gets an ouchie?”

The officers around him barked at his choice of words.

Tartly through the laughter, Connor answered for her,

“That’s the idea, Detective Reed.”

As Gavin flung a sneer his way, Officer Garcia sniggered,

“Aw shit, that means you’re stuck with the Incredible Hangover too. Sorry, ‘Tiny’.” Another volley of laughter. Chen clapped her on the shoulder as Mary unsurely giggled with them.

“You know he’s really not as bad as you said he’d be, Tina. I think he and Connor here have been super welcoming. And Connors in perfect condition too.” The android gave her a soft smile of thanks, both on he and Hank’s behalf. It was strange to see someone kind fooling around with the other officers. It really set things into perspective of how many jerks there were at the station. Though maybe things were different from an android’s perspective. On the flip side, the detective nearly gagged at all her positivity.

“Welcoming? Figures. You can see the good in the devil, Lind.” Chen sighed appreciatively.

Mary scoffed at the comparison. “If Lieutenant Anderson is the devil then you must be Cthulhu.”

“Hey, you fuckin—!”

Officer Chen paused. At the sound of slapping footsteps some distance behind the two, Gavin broke out into a smirk.

“Well speak of the devil.”

Calloused hands gripped the duo’s shoulders, pulling them both roughly out of the ring of black and blue.

“The fuck did I say about staying in my sight?” Hank thundered as they both stumbled to keep upright.

“You can see us right now can’t you?” Mary wheezed.

Hank ignored her with a glare. “It’s time to go. People are gonna be takin’ the evidence to the department anyway, assuming Connor’s got all his shit together.”

“I’ve collected what I needed, yes Lieutenant.” Connor nodded, “Officer Mary and I just rechecked the perimeter but we got… distracted from speaking with Detective Reed and the others.”

“Of course you did. Distraction’s contagious now, right?

Mary looked at her feet. She was well aware she’d been less than professional in the small time Hank and Connor had brought her along. The beat lieutenant sighed. He gruffly told her to get the car started, handed her the dull keys and pushed the rookie gently toward it. She tripped forward obediently, looking back at the group. Mostly at Officer Chen, sharing a knowing look. Something Connor read as Mary’s special way of saying ‘duty calls.’ ”Hope you don’t mind, Reed,” Hank said as the medic bouncily made her way to the car. Connor followed suit, sending his partner a parting nod.

“Nah. Not at all, Hank.” Gavin replied simply. “Nah. Glad to be rid of another one of your little adopts. She’s not as much of a cactus as your first prick but--” He winced as a clothed elbow dug into his ribs. Chen leaned back against the car next to him, eyes narrowed at the insult of her friend. Gavin only chuckled. “You gonna have an army by the time you retire then?”

“Threatened, ‘tective? Don’t piss yourself yet, complain when the army has something to target.” Hank shut him down tiredly, waving a hand and walking off with a deeper hunch.

A ‘heh’ from Detective Reed.

Hank really just wasn’t in the mood. His loud new responsibility was already running him thin.

So he threw the passenger door open and heavily plopped down beside Mary, who still remained in the driver’s seat. She didn’t really know how to work the ancient piece. And the judgemental stares from the other officers weren’t doing much good for her growing stress.

After helping her jam the keys inside, Hank leaned back in his seat, turned up a dial and the car full of idiots sped off down the road blasting loud guitars and screaming from the inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know this took way too long! 'Been bogged down with other projects. I hope its good enough size.


	4. donuts (alleyway exchange bonus)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short continuation of the last chapter. I felt bad writing so little in twenty days so I hope this holds people over until I can finish the next actual chapter.

Mary Lind had apparently been bent on trying to make up for her behavior the minute her shoes connected with the concrete of the DPD’s entrance. As soon as Hank and Connor stepped inside the morning after the WB200 murder, someone passed them by saying something along the lines of, ‘ _You should check out your desk._ ’ Another man muttered a quiet, ‘ _Wish_ my _partner was that considerate._ ’ Interests piqued, they made for the corner of the room wondering what the hell they were talking about.

 

A surprise cup of coffee, a box of six donuts and a messily written apology had popped up on Hank’s desk, along with another note and a single glazed donut on Connor’s desk beside him. The scrawling was almost unintelligible to the blurry eyed lieutenant but after Connor’s scan, he read the notes aloud.

 

_‘Dear Lieutenant Hank,_

_I’m sorry for my stupidity at the complex. I hope I didn’t stress you out too much. I know I can be kind of high energy so I got these to make up for being stupid, with a little help from Tina. I hope it works, and that we can get along! The best,_

_Officer Mary ☺_

_(Lind)’_

 

Connor paged to his own letter, his head tilting as the decoder did its work.

 

_‘Dear Detective Connor,_

_Sorry for any annoyance I might have been the cause for, I really didn't mean to upset you or your partner. I don’t know if you eat, but that donut is for you. It shouldn’t gum anything up in there if you try. (Just don’t turn on your breathing emulator while you do or else the pipes will get mixed up. And then I have to clean out your incinerator AND your vents.) You were really nice, and I hope we can get along! The best,_

_Officer Mary ☺_

_(Lind)’_

 

An impressive, and effective effort. The deep green letters on the box beckoned the lieutenant closer to accept the gifts, a hot wafting of fresh dough filling the air around them. The great smell was probably bettered by the fact that Hank hadn’t had much to eat that morning. His stomach, though dulled by the familiarity of the hunger, resounded with a groan he bet even the receptionists could hear. “Shit.” He muttered. She even got Hank’s favorite donut place right. The two partners looked at each other, then back at their notes. A disbelieving look spread over Hank’s face at the kindness of the rookie. Shock and confusion, but the faint hint of a grin. Connor identified his expression as [ _Flattery_ ]. Very rarely did Connor get to see flattery from Hank. It was a nice change. Surprise at his partner's shift in attitude lightened his expression.

 

Good of her to make Hank somewhat happier. Connor could always get behind a person who could make Hank somewhat happier. Some part of him swelled at the high title she addressed him with. 'Detective Connor' had a nice ring to it.  

 

Was flattery contagious?

 

“Damn,” Hank finally said, heavily settling into his chair. “She’s really gunning for that approval.”

 

“Her apology is genuine,” Connor stated evenly, mirroring his actions, and logging into his terminal to scroll through the day’s assignments.

 

“I’m aware, smart one.” The smiley face on the note stared Hank down across the desk. “S’just she had an awfully nice way of proving it...”

 

A pause.

 

“I don’t recall acting annoyed.” Connor murmured, his LED swirling yellow and blue. Probably running through his memories just to make sure. Calculating his responses.

 

His partner laughed. “Wouldn’t matter, even if you were. That letter is there to say that things are good between you two, kid. Not really much to have apologized for either seen as you have the patience of 10 first grade teachers. You're good."

 

Connor didn't look so sure. He pursed his lips, continuing to run through the letter a few more times.

 

The lieutenant frowned. As far as Hank was concerned, her entire letter reeked of 'no hard feelings.' Whatever Connor was looking for wasn't even there. But he carried on with squinting and tilting his head, inspecting something that was virtually meaningless. Watching golden ring spin was starting to make Hank dizzy. "Why would you care, anyway?" He questioned annoyedly. "If she said you two're fine then you're fine. Get to work and quit dicking around with the letter."

 

The android hastily set the note down next to him. "Yes, Lieutenant."

 

He pressed a hand to his terminal pad and Hank leaned back in his chair, blue eyes fixed on the rafters.

 

A long moment of quiet passed.

 

"..."

 

“ _Can_ you eat, anyway?”

 

Connor huffed, trying his best to focus. The neatly organized files blinking importantly in his face demanded his immediate attention. Selecting the least recent icon, he replied, “I think I will ...concern myself with Miss Lind’s thoughtful gift another time. And thank her.”

 

“Good.” Said Hank.

 

The android glanced at his partner.

 

“You should thank her too.”

 

He then went into a state of connection to the computer, concentrating on doing his job. After a few moments of going over his partner's response in his head, Hank willed himself to try doing the same.

 

But after a while, a man reaches a point in his life where he can't stand the aroma of uneaten donuts any longer. Even if it meant giving in to Mary's apology.

 

With a defeated sigh he, at last, fished an apology pastry from the box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


	5. in the dark

In ancient Greek mythology, Hermes was an emissary. The patron god of thieves, travelers, guides, but most importantly, messengers. Bringing good and bad tidings from higher powers, and sharing them with whoever needed to know. One of mythology’s most famous mailmen.

 

Around the workplace, his name was Chris Miller.

 

Chris ran things back and forth between Fowler and the rest of the DPD night and day. Captain needed to see him? Alright. Run that back to Tina; she’s in charge of that case until a detective can get here. Will do. Don’t tell anyone but Anderson about this until we have more information. Yes, sir. It was the role Fowler set upon him from some of the first days he was even around. Before Chris started being the Hermes of the precinct, this was considered usual grunt work. Everyone had to do it at one point for something stupid like ‘practicing communication with your colleagues’. But he made dashing between desks to spread the word look easy as riding a bike. How he managed to fly around the station while also handling his almost year old kid back home was beyond his workmates’ knowledge. In the years he’s worked at the DPD, everyone came to understand that when Chris came to your desk, he was usually there for someone else.

 

So when he came jogging up to the lieutenant and his android’s desks, Hank immediately threw his head back and moaned like a cow in labor.

 

“Bad timing?” Chris asked, suddenly rethinking his decision to arrive so forwardly. He’d developed a technique of sneaking up on Hank when he was pissed, so he’d be more startled than inclined to shout at the messenger.

 

“I fuckin’ hope not,” Hank grumbled. The officer stood tapping the file in his hands against his leg, waiting for something. Connor and he shared a look. “Ugh. You’re fine, Miller. What?”

 

“We just got a call from someone seeing a damaged female android inside their neighbor’s house. The guy thought it was pretty suspicious. And it's the same model as one that went missing about a week ago.” He handed the lieutenant a notebook page from inside the file so he could look over the scribbled details. “The thing is, the guy who owns the house has some history of--”

 

“Red ice usage.” Hank finished for him. His eyes flicked carefully across the lines of blue ink. Getting into an only slightly more serious mode.

 

“Right. You guys are still technically on android duty so this one’s coming to you.”

 

The lieutenant put his head in his hand, setting the page on his desk.

 

“Does Lind need to come along?”

 

Connor’s thoughts strayed to the officer. Since the donut offering, he’d think about her more often when she wasn’t around. Mostly about her words. Now that Hank more or less tolerated her optimism, she usually came around to pass information and say hello to the android and the old man, almost always kneeling to do so. She liked to lean up against the desks and put her chin on the top. It was a strange way to rest, Connor guessed. But it never lasted. After a moment of talking and taking any orders Hank might give her, she’d run off to go do who knows what on the other side of the building. She was probably still in that foreign area right now, seeing as she hadn’t come by to say hello yet. What was she doing, right now?

 

Officer Miller shrugged. “Well, they _did_ say the android was all covered in that blue shit so… I’d assume, right?” He turned on his heel with a grin. “You should get down there quick though. Sounded serious. I can go get her for you, if you want.”

 

“You do that,” Hank muttered. “Tell her to put her fucking coat on. She left it at my desk the other day when she went out to help with a patrol, and I almost turned it into lost and found. And it's getting colder out there” One of the things Connor had slowly come to know in his time at the precinct was that most of the department saw the lost and found room as a trashed wasteland of forgotten clothes, shoes and anything else. Those who actually gave a shit for the other, or personally had one of their things sent to the lost and found tended to avoid doing it to someone else. It was similar to ‘chucking whatever you ‘found’ into hell,’ as a wise drunk once said. Never to be seen again. At the mention of the room, Chris winced with a low, feigned sound of pain.

 

“Will do, Lieutenant.”

 

“Thanks, Miller.”

 

“No problem.”

 

The man walked off toward the opposite end of the building. Those who remained could hear the tapping of his leg against the folder in his hands. Alone again, the RK800 tried to help Hank up from his chair with plenty of convincing, anticipating the weak excuses not to move. Such excuses like sore knees, and ‘she can meet us here’ were met pragmatically. They were in the car in two minutes. Outside the station, Hank’s deafening music rumbled out from the cracks in the doors, the car owner crossing his arms and frowning into his beard. He wouldn’t wait long. If Mary didn’t get there in the next fifty-eight seconds Hank would go in looking for her in a ticked off rage.

 

Thankfully, Mary wasn’t one to wait on doing anything. Especially not on her first ‘real’ medic-mission. She came running through the nearest door past Officer Wilson, who chewed her out for sprinting around so carelessly. After fervently apologizing, she hopped inside.

 

“Where’s the house?”

 

* * *

 

 

A rundown neighborhood surrounded by construction and several cars rested on the side of the cracked road. Some cars were bashed, some of them dusty. Few houses had a spec of modern renovation, wooden paneling falling apart at the corners into piles of decomposing orange. Paint peeled. Windows were fogged. Lawns remained untended. But the people walking around looked unsuspecting and quaint. Despite the overhanging gray and lack of green, it felt like a community.

This homely feeling receded away the minute the old-fashioned car rolled up to Randy Burke’s home.

 

It was as battered as the other houses, sure. It’s lawn and torn up bushes were dry and scragged, of course. At first glance, one would stroll right past and keep walking their dog. But several things raised blinking red flags to the new officer. The stark contrast of an outrageously out of place convertible, and the uneasy silence. Worse, supporting the front porch was an unnerving crosshatched foundation leading to the underbelly of the house. Through the holes, Mary saw the creepy darkness leering at her from inside. But she was drawn to it. Almost as if something was peeking at her from deep underneath. Staring. She shivered, looking away from a gaze that couldn’t have been there. This had to be the guy's house. Connor had quickly debriefed her in the car. This Burke guy was apparently involved in red ice from a while before he was arrested. He got bailed out two years early by his wife, and the DPD hadn’t gotten anything on him since. That could mean two things. Either he hadn’t been up to anything, or he made carefully sure never to get caught again. Until now. An android, the same model as the currently missing ‘Eve,’ was spotted hurt inside the battered piece of work before her. Whatever was happening in there, they were there to find out.  Mary gulped at the thought. She glanced at Hank, who was already moving to take a quick swig of coffee from the cup holder beside him. Then to Connor, fixing his tie. His hands tightening around the loop of fabric. She watched his wrist flick as he let go to dust himself off.

 

Noticing her staring, he informed,

 

“Here we are.”

 

The officer looked away, focusing on the house again.

 

“S-so we are,” She stuttered. Her eyes kept straying to that pitch area beneath the house. “Hey, Connor?”

 

“Officer?”

 

“...Are you nervous?”

 

“No.” There was an unnecessary strength in his tone. Hank chuckled into his coffee. “I am well prepared for this mission and I intend to perform at the same level as usual.”

 

“That must be nice.” She remarked. “But, haven’t you ever been nervous, about anything at all?”

 

How strange to have anyone other than Hank ask him how he felt. His lips twitched with a smirk at the abrupt fascination. “Well, it isn’t a very _frequent_ emotion. But, yes, I have felt something one could consider anxiety.”

 

“Neat-o.” She grinned.

 

Hank rolled his eyes and got out of the car, muttering, “ _Who the fuck says_ ‘neat-o’ _anymore_?”

 

He brought his coffee with him, deciding to wait until the conversation had properly deadened. A precaution for the long job that awaited them. The car shuddered as his keys left their port.

 

Mary had also brought extra precautions, her makeshift android first-aid kit heavily propped up on the seat beside her. Full of thirium packs, spare biocomponents, with plenty of gauze, sealant and PVC tape. To an android, it must have looked like she packed up a kit of organs. Until she could get ahold of some extra limbs, she’d have to make do with what she could. She hoisted the backpack over her back, dimly reminded of her old training exercises. It was heavy, but not nearly enough to equate to the weight of those damned backpacks they had to run with. Just in case, she’d made sure to jog around with her kit in the station’s gym. Looking back, she must have looked like a total idiot. But the embarrassment was worth the tiny bit of strength. Now fully alone, she rolled over and hopped out of the car after the lieutenant and his android.

 

 _Knock, knock._ Freckled knuckles rapped against the white door.

 

“Hello?” Connor called.

 

Silence. No one moved.

 

_Knock, knock, knock!_

 

“Hello?” He repeated, ”Detroit police. Is anybody home?”

 

Connor tried the door, surprisedly feeling the handle turn easily in his hands.

 

His hair stirred at the gust of too high air conditioning. Gaping before them as the door swung inward was the empty, shadowy entrance. It was dark as a cave. A tangy, burning smell stung the two human’s nostrils. Smoke. Somehow worse, in Mary’s eyes, was the lack of a welcome mat.

 

“My gosh. They need to get a better ventilation system…” She hissed, wrinkling her nose at the sour air. “Do you think they like breathing in all this cr--” Out of nowhere, the android had jolted forward.

 

Somewhere in the house, there were a series of thumps. Barely audible, but loud enough to spook the infiltrators.

 

There was someone else inside.

 

Hand flying to his holster, Hank took the lead with a short,

 

“Stay behind me.”

 

They proceeded with caution.

 

“Anybody home?” Connor asked into the shadows.

 

Another, almost eager thump.

 

A long hallway laid itself before them, unfolding in the dark like a scroll of paper. Lightening with each step. Inside the kitchen/living room, the interior decor was a chaotic mix of wealth and sloth. As though a materialistic preschooler had bought everything just to buy it. There were sound systems and gaming consoles. Posters and banners with no relation were hung on one corner of a wall. Really, there was little functional furniture but a haphazardly placed couch, a dinner table and chairs, a pair of table lamps on a cracked mantle and a large TV. The carpet was soft and freshly cleaned but stained by what the humans hoped was red wine. Shoes, tattered and high costing, were lined in rows beside the doorways. Trash was lazily stuffed away in the bare corners of the rooms. It was a mess. But the fresh, abandoned bag of chips suggested that the house hadn’t been left alone too long. They split up after hearing more thumping; the officer straying into the kitchen while Connor and Hank explored the hallway.

 

The android kept close to the kitchen doorway, his eyes sometimes trailing to the officer. She’d snapped on a pair of blue gloves, her face set determinedly flat. For whatever reason, she looked to be trying to respect the house as best she could. No quick moments and only the lightest of touches. He really should be focusing…

 

Suddenly, her face hardened as she opened the cupboards. Connor looked away hastily, bumping into his partner.

 

Disgruntled, the lieutenant halfheartedly elbowed the android back, giving him a look.

 

“Hank?” She called.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw Hank’s mop of gray turn.

 

“What?”

 

“...There’s, like, five packs of red ice in here. Five ounces per baggie.”

 

Hank snorted, backing up from the android and looking elsewhere. “Can’t say I’m surprised... Burke got caught selling to this old homeless guy back in ‘29. DPD found out he was running a low-level business and he stayed in jail till his wife _mysteriously_ got the money to bail him out.”

 

“So you think she took his place while he was in jail?” Mary asked, now struggling to haul herself on top of the counters to get to the highest shelf.

 

“I know so.” The lieutenant insisted. “I mean, they aren’t exactly the most traditionally wealthy family. What kind of rich asshole would willingly live in this bashed rattrap?”

 

She hummed. A rustling sound and the stamp of boots echoed from the kitchen. “Five more... I don’t think he ever stopped.”

 

Now on her knees and out of sight, Connor decided to actually focus.

 

On probably the only bookshelf in the house rested several photos and knickknacks. It seemed the Burke’s enjoyed traveling, a line of snowglobes and keychains littering each surface. Places like Ontario, Orlando, Maryland, New York and DC. Popular tourist spots. Taking in these details, Connor began scanning each picture interestedly. Randy and his wife grinned back at him. They looked like a relatively happy couple. Connor ran a quick search, finding that they’d been married for eighteen years, now. The first few, glitching pictures must have been taken while they were happy newlyweds. But the newer the photo, the worse they began to look. He noticed the sallow color their pale skin took on. The dilation of their pupils and shallowing cheeks. The yellowing of their teeth and patchy redness of their skin. Eventually, the shelf began to look less like a shelf and more like a grim documentation of the unfortunate effects of red ice.

 

Connor looked closer. If he could pinpoint where the drug abuse started, he might have a better understanding of when Burke went from loving husband to busy dealer.

 

His partner clucked his tongue, gathering himself up from the floor after checking out a console table.

 

“Find anything?” He asked.

  
The android picked up a picture frame, pop-ups already informing him of ways he could hack the screen and check the dates.

 

“Maybe…”

 

Hank held up a folded letter by the crease.

 

“What a coincidence.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Some kind of letter for a Mr. ‘B.’ Assuming that’s Burke, ‘must have been delivered personally. There’s no return sender. It looks real business-y for some cheaply printed note.”

 

Connor regarded the note, a handful suspicious keywords from the text showing up in front of him. “It’s safer to bag them than waste any more time in one area,” He murmured. “There could still be someone here.”

 

“Right. The noises.” Hank took out a plastic bag, letting Connor put the letter in for him to avoid any more fingerprints. Leaving the bag on the table, they continued down the hall where the only bedroom in the house waited. “I wonder if the lack of lights is to save bill-money or if these people really just become fucking vampires…” The lieutenant’s lips were curled in disgust as he squinted to see in the dark. Large curtains draped lazily over the windows, blocking out every bit of sunlight. Which made the swirling blue in Connor’s temple the only actual light source, painting his face and the outlines of (hopefully) a dresser, a faint cerulean hue.

 

He moved in, the unpleasant stench of smoke and sweat registering in his olfactory emulator. Unlike his partner, the android didn’t need to wait long to adjust to the dark. He began his scanning.

 

The bedroom was filthy. Every inch of carpet was covered in clutter and apparel. There were at least three ice-pipes mixed in with the foul laundry, along with several open boxes and mugs. Through the mess, he could see various questionable stains on the floor. The bed in the corner of the room was unmade, the sheets crinkled and yellowed. An incredibly unhealthy twenty-eight cigarette butts were burned into the bedside tables. Though just like the other rooms, it still proudly showcased that ostentatious style.

 

“Ah jesus, it’s even worse in here…” Hank groaned, covering his nose with his sleeve.

 

Connor stood straighter, walking further into the room. “We don’t have time to lose. We should be searching for Eve and anyone else in the house before Burke or his wife come home.”

 

The lieutenant made a face.

 

“Have fun with that. I’ll be checking the bathroom.”

 

“Alright,” Connor affirmed, moving to check the drawers. The carpet crunched distastefully beneath Hank’s feet as he left.

 

In the kitchen, Officer Mary had taken her time, making sure to be thorough but cautious in her search. The pantry was empty and the only drugs she’d found were stored away in the top cabinets. No secret doors under the rug. There wasn’t much else to check but a few more of the lower cupboards and whatever was underneath the sink. So she set to work, shifting through pots and pans. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t much that could be underneath here. No signs of an android ever being hurt, though that wasn’t something she could be completely sure of. Mary was well aware that thirium conveniently evaporated when exposed to the outside world. There weren’t any actual weapons either. But this wasn’t something she was going to risk. The more meticulous they were, the more information they could bring back to find Eve.

 

Her head craned to see inside of the first cabinet, pushing aside a few cookie tins.

 

A crushed plastic shopping bag full of... something sat slumped at the very back. It was so out of place she nearly bumped her head scrambling to get out. The bag stared back at her as she settled back in place.

 

‘ _What the hell?_ ’ She mouthed. The officer reached out.

 

Crinkling tickled her ears as she brought the bag close. There wasn’t much visibility through the dense brown plastic, so she let the bag drop into her lap. Then she’d be able to open it and see there was nothing to be afraid of. As she did, immediately the cool sting of metal jabbed into her thighs.

 

She yelped.

 

“Kid?” Hank called, his voice suddenly edged with worry.

 

“‘I-i’m okay!” She assured, repositioning the pointy bag. Whatever stabbed her wasn’t sharp enough to break through her pants. “I just got a little startled. Sorry.”

 

He laughed. “You’d better be careful. Connor'll be screwed if his _medic_ ends up getting hurt.”

 

“Haha…” She puffed out her cheeks embarrassedly. How would she be able to call herself a good officer if she let herself get the startled from something as stupid as a little poke through some bag? It crinkled tauntingly as she shifted under the weight.

 

Whatever was inside was pretty heavy, even compared to the backpack she still wore.  Might as well break it, since the plastic wasn’t really keeping anything from breaking through anyway. Fingers tore through the bag, and the whatever was inside pooled and spread to release itself from it’s prison. She hesitantly looked inside.

 

The various tools in her lap, on the verge of clanging onto the ground, were not was made her gasp in disgust. Not the hammers, or wrenches or knives. But the fresh blue-blood smeared threateningly across them. The navy shined proudly on the stainless steel blades, a puddle of thirium forming at the bottom of the bag and slicking the rest of the tools even more. It wasn’t just a little bit of thirium either. Thank goodness she was wearing gloves.

 

Androids didn’t have many rights, but whatever had taken place to have stained these tools so obscenely would for sure get someone put in jail. She needed to call for the others and tell them before the thirium could evaporate. Before this crime could potentially go unpunished.

 

That’s when she heard another thump.

 

The noise was so powerfully desperate to be heard that it shook the other cabinets. As she held the door to the tools' hiding place, it vibrated in her hand. Mary pulled away.

 

She almost jumped to her feet, nearly making a mess of steel and blue-blood all over her uniform. But she froze instead. Just sitting.

 

Staring at the unopened cabinet leading to the uncleaned sink.

 

There wasn’t any more noise for a while. Mary almost couldn’t bring herself to open it, several flash images of monsters jumping out at her. It was childish, but she knew that something was terribly wrong. What the hell would the Burkes keep under their sink that _couldn’t_ be a monster? Dread trickled insultingly down her throat, pooling in her stomach. She could let it be, and keep looking. Check the other cabinets and get the others to check it out. But the cowardice of such an idea made her scowl. She was a professional for god’s sake! It could be faulty plumbing or a rat, for all she knew. What she wouldn’t give to have the rapid-fire images of demons popping out of the sink replaced by a fat rat screwing around in the pipes underneath. The officer crossed her arms.

 

She’d drive herself crazy guessing if she didn’t open it soon.

 

She _felt_ like she was going crazy.

 

_Get ahold of yourself._

 

Her hands connected with the edge of the cupboard.

 

She slowly edged it open.

 

And a blue-bathed hand grabbed weakly out of the darkness for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	6. blue

The officer didn’t scream.

In fact, Mary made no other noise but a whimper of revulsed horror.

Because before she could pull out her gun, she saw the most pitiful creature she’d ever seen, crammed grotesquely tight into the cupboard.

For one, the android was stark naked. Her bare limbs were crushed far between the sink pipes, her back curved uncomfortably against the splintering wood of the walls. Something behind her was keeping her from fully cowering against the said wall, but her discomfort was not the worst of her condition. She was absolutely covered in cuts. Not in the way that one would imagine, such as a few deep gashes here and there. Her lacerations were only centimeters apart and they covered her entire body, some wounds crossing and flaying her thin, glitching skin into ridges. Like bleeding, blue gills. Feet to neck, these gills trailed up her shivering body in azure tiger stripes. From her nose dripped a steady stream of blue, seeping into the oak paneling below.

There was no way she could see anything with all the blood encrusted tangles in her face. There was no way she could be sure that it wasn’t Burke, or his wife.

And she still reached pitifully out to the trembling officer.

Mary wanted to vomit. She knew that androids couldn’t technically feel pain, but the sight of this android’s… no, this woman’s defaced and battered form absolutely disgusted her. New questions flooded her already swimming head. How was she even still alive? Why would they keep her alive? Was this Eve, and if not, how many more androids were there? Most pressing, why would anyone do this?

She stayed frozen in fear, and now dreadful pity.

The android’s hand tapped weakly against the officer’s cheek, her fingers unmoving but the meaning was painfully clear.

You’re here. You’re finally here and you heard me.

The gesture was so gentle and weak Mary wanted to instantly scoop her up from her disgusting prison. Get her the help she needed while she was still moving.

But she couldn’t act recklessly when someone’s life was on the line. Getting her out without damaging her further would be like defusing a bomb. All those cuts paired with too much manhandling and she could come apart like a bloody loaf of bread. It would be better to assess what Mary could until it’s absolutely necessary to move her.

The officer’s lips parted.

“You’re going to be okay.”

The tapping continued. “I’m going to get you out of here as soon as I can. Is your name Eve? Are you Eve?” Her fingers stopped their tapping, now just laying against Mary’s skin. Under her tangles, the android’s lips twitched. The officer leaned forward, letting the woman’s hands latch fearfully onto her back. She didn’t mind the blood. For a moment Mary could only hear emulated, ragged breathing. But the crackle in between each breath wheezed,

 _“E... **v__e.** Ye...s. E **..e__** ve._” Mary let out a sigh, resisting the urge to pat the android’s shoulder.

“Good job.” She praised. It was hard to keep her voice down. “Good job, Eve. That's a pretty name! We’re gonna get you out of here, okay? You’re safe now.” The promises and compliments seemed like music to Eve’s ears, sending her into a flurry of hiccuping sobs. She continued to hug her discoverer with no plans to let go. Mary just took deep breaths and looked the discovery in the eye, asking, “I’m gonna need you to answer me a few things and you’ll be out of here in a blink. Can you do that?”

Eve shut her eyes, as if to make sure of the claim.

“ _Bl.. **__ink.**.k.._ ”

“Blink.”

 

_BOOM!_

A gunshot rang out from the hallway, followed by a loud string of curses from Lieutenant Anderson.

Diving to protect Eve with a shriek, Mary heard the stomp of footsteps running down toward the bathroom.

 

Connor didn’t have time to lose.

As soon as the fire from a rifle rung out from the hallway, he took off running. The sound of shouting burst from the hallway and the kitchen. He vaulted himself as far as he could. His shoulder clipped the doorway. Hank hadn’t been shot, but the bullet hole in the wall he was backed into proved that whoever was inside the bathroom was well armed. In the restroom door was the bullet hole’s brother. Thankfully, the gun he was allowed to carry with him didn’t fall off in his scrambling. Connor raised it threateningly at the door.

At his side, Hank tried to catch his breath, getting out of the line of fire. His android moved in quickly.

The obstacle in his way came easily off its hinges with a swift kick to the lock mount.

A pointless bullet ricocheted through the ceiling, the shooter roaring as the force knocked them into the wall.

They shrilled, “ _Get the fuck out of my house!_ ”

“Drop the gun!” Hank shouted back from behind.

It was a woman. Connor realized that before him was Mrs. Burke herself, her thin face stretched thinner with rage. She was perched defensively on top of the toilet, rifle whipping around at the intruders. From an open window, the blinding orange sunset gleamed in her bared teeth. A foot still struggled to get free from the window’s frame. Mens, size nine.

Randy Burke was fleeing the scene with his wife covering as he made his escape. “I said drop it now!” The lieutenant barked. Connor’s grip on his handgun tightened at the proximity of his partner to the crazed wife.

Her husband’s shoe left its window. Outside, a voice demanded she join him.

“You get any closer,” Mrs. Burke threatened, “and I’ll blast you two back out the door!”

“You’re in no position to be makin’ threats, now get the fuck down or we’ll shoot!” Hank countered, his shoulders squaring up in anticipation. The woman’s hate didn’t falter.

She moved toward the window, but Connor took a step forward. She reeled back, shoving the rifle back his way. The android backed up. There would be no turning her back on the cops if she could do anything about it. And this tango of ‘who moves first’ continued for at least a dreadful minute. The lieutenant was starting to get tired of it. He let out a snarl and fired, sick of this pointlessness. Mr. Burke could be getting away right this moment. The gunshot broke the silence and sent them both diving for cover.

Tile broke and splintered over the woman’s loose tank top. Dust plumed out from the filthy walls. Mrs. Burke fell from her perch with a squawk, and she clawed at the air, her grip on her gun lost. An opportunity! The android ran at her from the side, Hank already moving for her gun. The man suddenly yelped. She’d kicked it farther away, diving quickly under the android to attempt to blindside him. But Connor had other things in mind. He grabbed her by the ankle, his iron-tight grip unaffected by her feeble kicking. She let out a hapless scream. “Get off!”

He didn’t expect her to grab at the shower curtain from the floor.

The sound of clinking came from above. A surprisingly heavy steel bar came down on his neck, stunning the android as Mrs. Burke grabbed at her rifle. In his hands, he felt her ankle turn to reach it. He didn’t hesitate as he pulled her up, dragging her farther across the floor and into the air. She let out another scream at the movement, only just securing her grip on the gun. But it fell once more. Hank went to take her down while she was open, Connor kneeling down to drag her closer to them.

Now on her belly, her arms splayed underneath her, she‘d have trouble getting away. As the lieutenant went to grab her arm, handcuff already in hand, she whipped around on her back and aimed the rifle she’d gotten underneath her. Connor’s tension spiked as he realized his partner now gazed down the barrel of a gun. “Hank!”

The lieutenant didn’t say much else back but the reasonable response, “Fuck.”

There wasn’t a moment to lose.

Hank wasn’t quick enough to dodge something already so close.

Mrs. Burke was already struggling to put her finger around the trigger.

So the android pushed his partner away roughly and watched as a spray of thirium blossomed from his side. _BANG!_

Everything after happened in a blur, which wasn’t helped by the angry red letters filling his vision with damaged bicomponent warnings.

Hank let out a roar, handgun blazing as at least two of the bullets hit their mark. Red spattered the window the woman had only just gotten her head through. She didn’t fall limp but instead let out a panicked scream. Outside the window, there was a flash of movement and the sound of sirens. Had Mary called for backup? The angry face of a man, the very owner of the house suddenly appeared within view.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” The sirens got louder. Various other slurs came from the fat mouth of Randy Burke, dragging his sobbing wife out the window and now struggling to get in, absolutely maddened with rage. Hank ran to the window to shut him out. His footsteps joined with Connors. The android had been hurt worse, and he couldn’t keep still for too long. A fist connected with his partner’s jaw before he could touch the sill.

Hank let out a sharp wail, blindly punching back at the crazed husband. But there was a sound of a struggle coming from outside. It was dark, the flashing of red and blue lighting up the neighboring fences behind. As Connor dragged the lieutenant back to safety and ran to shut the window himself, Randy was suddenly swept off his feet. Painfully. The strangled noise he made, paired with the awful sound of flesh on cement clapped in Connor’s audio processor.

He turned away from the window and ran to check on Hank.

“Lieutenant, are you alright?” Connor put a hand on his shoulder.

Hank gave him an incredulous look, scrambling to his feet. His jaw looked swollen.

“What the hell are you talking about--!? Son, you just got shot in the side!”

Oh, right.

He put a hand to his abdomen, feeling where the rifle shot had busted him open. It wasn’t as bad as it bled, having merely grazed him, but it was deep enough to be considered an issue. Blue seeped into his skin. Connor took the lieutenant’s hands from his face. He ran to the window to assess the current situation. And his anxiety spiked.

“We’ve gotta get you to Mary, kid. Now get your ass out of this house before some other crazed drug lord gets to you.” The android didn’t move. “What are you doing?” Hank demanded, tugging his partner’s sleeve. He thrust his chin over Connor’s shoulder.

His jaw dropped.

 

* * *

 

Once Mary had peeked in through the bathroom doorway, with sobbing Eve bleeding all over her but managing to stand, she knew she’d need to intervene. Soon. She couldn’t only tend to one of the wounded. And the sight of a suddenly _also_ bleeding Connor sent her head reeling. So she let the closest of her responsibilities lay down in the living room, stuttered into her walkie-talkie for backup and bolted out the door.

One of the better qualities of a lighter officer was the terrifying leg power.

She hadn’t been given her ‘tasmanian title’ for nothing. She was one of the fastest recruits they’d had on the force in the last four years and always would be, having aced every speed assessment she was ever given. When she was assigned as a patrol officer (not long before being given the honor to work with the lieutenant and his partner,) people compared her on-foot pursuits to sikking an angry cheetah on any unsuspecting runners. As long as she had a running start, she could take down anyone who made the mistake of leaving their comfort zone.

Which is why she had no trouble pinning the fat Randy Burke to the cold hard asphalt.

She slammed into his chest with a high pitched grunt, driving straight into the angry man’s stomach. He let out a gurgle and fell heavily on his back, obviously incredibly surprised. And the minute he realized he’d been knocked over, he began a desperate struggle with the human bullet.

Mary didn’t waste any time. Adrenaline was punching her heartbeat too far into her throat for her to hesitate. She slammed her hand on his head, using her legs to stabilize herself as she used the other hand to flip the man on his belly. Burke wasn’t having it. He bucked his legs and easily loosened the officer's grip with a roar. She frantically tried to get him back on his back while his fist struck her right in the hip. That’s gonna bruise. Somewhere she heard someone yell her name. Her face tightened. But so did her grip on his shoulder. She pushed up on her leg in a hurry and forcefully slammed her boot down, with all her force, onto his hand. A scream of pain came from the lump beneath her. This was her chance!

But the man was squirming to get free more than ever, and her hand-smashing had taken pretty much everything she had. Cheetahs were not known for their strength.

Burke had slid almost completely out from underneath her before Connor had clumsily fallen out the window from above.

 

And landed right on top of them.

At first, no one knew what the hell happened. Once the android had gotten to his knees, Mary realized that Burke had stopped moving. Hopefully, because Connor had thrust his scarily strong hands onto Burke's shoulders and grabbed his arms to handcuff them in such a motion that if you blinked, you could miss it. “Get off me! Get off!” Burke screamed, “You cheap plastic blow-doll, I’ll skin you like a pig! I’ll skin you!” It was a bit hard to hear with his mouth smushed into the pavement. But she got the message. She’d already seen what he’d done to poor Eve. The officer scrambled off the captured drug dealer, taking a minute to calm down. Beside her Connor was already getting to his feet, looking to Hank who stared down at them. His eyes were wide at the sudden diffusion of the situation.

Sirens could be heard all around them. Red and blue flashed in their faces. Police cars shined polished black and white. Somewhere not far off, she heard the familiar buzz of static. Below, her own walkie-talkie went off.

‘Officer Lind. Backup arrived. What’s your situation? Over.’

Mary let out a labored sigh and brought the walkie-talkie to her lips as she hoisted herself up to stand.

“Were… Were all okay.” The officer leaned against the neighbor’s fence, looking at the two still breathing people on the floor. She didn’t even notice the wife before. As she spoke, Connor helped his partner from the window. They carefully stepped around the Burkes. “We’ve got two-- actually make that three ‘45Bs. There’s an android inside that answers to ‘Eve.’ O-over.” She needed to check in on her and make sure she hadn’t torn anything worse.

‘Transfer your communicator to Lieutenant Anderson. The search party will be going through the house in ten. Over.’

“Will do. Over and out.”

Hank was already walking over to her. She didn’t have to time wait around for him. Eve was still bleeding and she needed to make sure she had enough supplies to treat her. Were there enough blood bags to replace what she’d lost?

Hank gladly took the radio as she plunged it quickly into his hand. He needed to yell into something for a little bit.

But before he did, a new concern was presented to her.

The bullet wound in Connor’s side.

 

"Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot--"

As Connor sort of expected, Mary wasn't the most colorful swearer. While he walked carefully back into the house with her, to retrieve something Mary said she couldn't leave behind, he overheard her sputtering kindergarten curses at rapid fire. _Dangs, fricks, darn-its,_ and especially _shoots_ were the only things she said for a good two minutes. He found himself extremely amused at the absurdity of a cop not wanting to actually swear. She was just too preoccupied with whatever she was thinking to seem like a proper officer. Mary, like her patient, knew that his bullet wound wasn't too critical. At least he could still walk, despite the angrily flashing warnings all around him. But there was something else driving her heart rate through the roof. Something inside the house. Mary ran through the front door. She stopped abruptly in front of the living room, and asked warily into the dark, "Eve? Where'd you go?" Eve? She'd found Eve already? A whistling noise registered in his processors. Something akin to wheezing. They turned toward the noise. There, by the couch, Connor saw an android so banged up and cut he could have hardly called it alive. It bled all over the floor, a large screwdriver stuck painfully into the nape of its neck. Perversely keeping it from phasing out of its skin. The RK800's eyes widened at the despicable sight. That would explain why Mary was so drenched in thirium. Was this Burke's doing? The damaged android was sobbing, crawling toward the officer. Mary rushed over, and took her carefully into her arms without a smidge of hesitation.

"Officer?"

She didn't look up this time, letting the android wrap its flayed arms around her neck. There was an incredibly particular way she had to position herself so as to comfort Eve without tearing a wound any further. It was a tender and protective way that she wrapped her arms under the androids torso and shielded the worst of her wounds from the world. Keeping her flush with her body so as to keep her cuts from incorrectly drying in the exposed air. Even in spite of the possibility that Eves blood she was bathed in was contaminated. Even in spite of the android’s... indecency, she held her close. It was so unlike any of the contact that he'd ever seen a human share with an android. Too kind for an officer, but just right for Mary.

"Yeah?" She replied quietly, laying a hand on Eve's wet, black scalp. Eve shuddered and leaned into her touch pathetically. She looked unexpectedly serious.

What did he want to ask before? Hesitation lined his features before he asked, "Do you need anything?"

Her lips twitched into a brief grin, starting to walk back toward the front door. "Aren't you the one who need's help right now?" He followed her.

"You look to be struggling with holding the android. I am not incapable of helping you, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

”Connor, I really only  _need_ you to chill out for a minute.” Wary exasperation edged her voice. Compliantly, he shut his mouth and watched her actions analytically. She could need to focus and it would be no good for Eve if she was distracted. Plus, the watching was something Mary had slowly grown familiar with, since the first morning at the precinct. She laughed and said it was just ‘in his wires’ to be so observant and calculating. Connor remembered how she said she thought that it was... interesting. They stopped outside on the least uncomfortable patch of grass on the lawn. There, Mary knelt down, soothing sweet natured comforts in the android’s direction.

Something of an ache built in Connor’s belly at her tentativeness. Her compassion for all things was so strangely refreshing. He picked apart the way she set Eve down first on her head and gently rolled her into the grass to minimalize the damage. To keep her from adjusting herself and still letting her relax. She was laid belly down, the screwdriver in her neck still rising and falling with each hollow breath she still held onto. This confused Connor. If she was so damaged why not turn off her breathing regulator to decrease energy usage? But back to Mary. She was rummaging through her supplies. A flash of blue and red light reflected off the bag she pulled from the kit. A thirium pack, one of the more heavy duty sizes. Emergency reserves, unlike the juice box sized ones in the side pockets. She grabbed the opening tab between her teeth and pulled. Blue dabbed at her lips but she didn’t care. She needed to get it into Eve before she lost sentience.

”Eve, I’m gonna need you to let this down your throat. I know you’re not an eating model but you need to trust me, this is to keep your pump pumping.” A small inclination of her chin, and a turn of her head and the bag was already pouring down her throat. Eve suckled it all out gratefully. Connor noticed the android reach for her savior’s hand and take it with another broken shudder. He also noticed how as Mary took away the bag and moved to the makeshift kit once more, she held Eve’s hand kindly back.

Did she do that with all her patients?

Her eyes shifted over the contents, and back at the screwdriver.

”That’s lodged way too far in. You’re gonna need to have it taken out. I’m alright with carving, but it'd be better if you got it taken out in a more sterile place.” She began shedding her jacket. “So you’d better take this until an ambulance comes.”

Eve let out a thankful sigh and let the jacket drape over her.

Minutes passed as Mary worked. Her hands weaved in the dark, still slick with blue and equipped with PVC tape and sealant. Like a maddened arts and crafts hobbyist. Long was the time before the tiger stripes along Eve’s body had been completely sealed with tape band-aids. Along the way, Connor had helped, of course, handing her tweezers and medical linens. She thanked him each time. Until finally it was time to do her job.

The search team inside was already halfway through their search. On the porch, they could hear Hank speaking to Detective Collins about the situation.

While Mary let Eve rest and reflect, she turned to Connor. He still stared back carefully.

”I-I’m sorry for the wait.” She apologized, starting to fall out of that intense momma bear mode she’d dipped into. What Eve had been through absolutely shook her. Connor tilted his head with a shrug.

“I assure you, there’s nothing to apologize for, Officer.”

She glanced at her suddenly less heavy kit, where only a few thirium packs and the remnants of her ‘surplus’ rested. Her face fell. Still, those brown eyes still bore into her. Interested as always.

Something Connor had gotten never to witness before was his own repairs. At Cyberlife, if he'd lived through a graze or a stabbed shoulder, he was manually shut off. Put into a deep sleep, where sometimes he'd just drift when he wasn't sent to... the garden. Never truly conscious. As though he entirely disappeared. But it would certainly be enlightening to watch a true repairer work on him. Well... a true enough repairer. Mary was the strange %2 exception.

“Alright let’s see...” She finally said, beckoning the android closer.

Scooting over obediently, he let her look over the wound. "How many alerts are you getting, right now?" Mary asked casually, dipping her head to see better.

"Three." Connor reported, "One for blood loss, two for damaged biocomponents."

She hummed with a small smile.

"Right. I don't have any paneling on me, so you're gonna have a hole in you for a while. Just until I can find the right parts for you. That won't feel too weird will it?" Genuine concern etched into her features.

The android reminded her assuringly, "Androids do not feel, Officer." There _was_ something of a dull, irrational worry that he could die from such a small injury. But it was just that. Irrational. He pushed away the bothersome thought.

Mary let out a huff, dipping her other hand into her bag for a pair of flexible, metal-braided tubes. "Well, I know that," With the same hand she fished out two nut bolts and got to screwing them onto the ends of the tubes diligently. "But you also transmit that information to your brains like a human, and there's an emotional bit to it too." The tubes were now secured to one another. Fingers twisted deftly over them, turning the connected pipes over in their hands. Her amber eyes trained carefully on them, her thumb flicking a tiny switch on the side of one cylinder. It began to glow blue, illuminating the dead grass. And Connor saw her expression soften with the light. "Just makin' sure you're comfortable y'know?"

She looked around the wound again, squinting to see. Street lamps and police cars flickering on the street weren't much of a help. To make do, she used the glowing tube as a flashlight to see through Connor's wires.

It was odd having Mary so close to him. Not in a negative way, he thought. He'd learned well what discomfort felt like, though the concept and _feeling_ of feelings was still incredibly foreign to him. It was almost like what he could only deduce was indigestion, despite not having much of a means to digest anything. Rumbling and thumping in his chest and abdomen. Into Connor's head popped the disturbing image of a creature living within him, waiting to burst from his stomach at any moment. Just like in the space movie from Hank's strange and disturbing childhood. Maybe that was why Hank turned out the way he was... He couldn't quite bring himself to say anything to Mary though, watching her carefully pluck her fingers over the little skin she could get to.

Maybe it was the way she was sitting. Or rather, laying. She'd settled onto her belly like Eve, propping herself on her elbows and leaning almost nose-to-cut. Twisting and leering over his wound. She didn't care much for how it looked to the people around her. Focusing on treating him was probably the only thing going through her mind. And she was careful. _Ever_ so careful not to do... something? Connor didn't really know what the need for her stiffness was. He almost didn't _like_ how stiff her jaw was set. First-time jitters, perhaps?

And now that he was focusing on her face, he grew aware of her sudden frustration. A pout was building on her lips.

"Is there a problem Mary?"

"Eeughhh..." She gurgled, squinting into the dark.

The aggravated noise made Connor's eyebrow quirk.

"Is that your final answer?"

She looked up at him with a frown, her hands dropping onto the lawn. 

"D-don't worry." The officer murmured, looking at her hands. "It's nothing really."

Humored perplexion graced his lips. "Your expression says otherwise. You look irritated."

"Well. Okay so, the bullet kinda of curved weird, right? Since you're a pretty tough cookie." Cookie? She grabbed a shiny dowel-looking tool and lifted the flesh where the wound dipped into him. "It curved weird on impact and the thingy just kind of dipped into you so the opening is a lot smaller than the actual wound, and I'm whiny so of course it's probably making me look upset." She leaned forward to look into the hole. Connor felt the tips of her hair tickle his supporting hand. He doubted that she should describe her struggles as ‘whiny.’ She muttered, "S'just first world a problem that isn't really worth making a patient worry."

"Oh." His head tilted, suddenly having an idea. "Would it help if I took this off then?"

Now, Mary generally thought she was doing alright for her first time. She hadn’t stumbled her words too much or skipped a step in her own routine. She hadn’t felt her hands shake too much either. And at one sentence. _One_ sentence, and her active heart started punching itself into her ribcage at speeds to rival her track records. One sentence and she forgot about the ass she kicked and the blood on her hands and the people around her. Mary absolutely froze solid.

At least a minute passed before she creaked pleasantly,

" _What_?" 

"Do you want me to take my shirt off for you? Will that not make the process easier?"

"...for _me_?” Wait what? She attempted to correct herself. “I-I mean— that’s just, whh.. Well, I mean..." Somehow her jaw got even tighter. "Yeah, it might. But... uh." Mary struggled to do that thing. What was it called? Form words? She had to take a few deep breaths. "A-are you even allowed to do that in public?"

Connor looked at her as though lobsters were crawling out of her ears. It wouldn’t have surprised her if there were with how stupidly she was ruining this conversation.

"Mary, I am a male model. I do not have br--"

She cut him off flusteredly. "Ah jeez, n-nevermind! I-if that doesn't make you uncomfortable, you can do... that-- if you want. I-i don't care."

Pull yourself together woman! He’s your coworker! And you'd better get used to it because it's practically in your job description! As she shied away from the android to berate herself for the awkward exchange, Connor bewilderedly slid off his jacket.

Humans were so strange...

What was she expecting anyway? He's an android. They're made to be average but pleasant looking. So what? He was a person too. Just a nicer looking... person. And the respect of someone's body was something that all people deserved.

But that rustle of fabric just out of sight tauntingly begged her to ogle.

And she did, admittedly. But she wouldn't enjoy it out of respect. Definitely not.

Her eyes settled on the tie thrown around his neck and lowered their gaze. The pink in her cheeks darkened into a deep salmon.

Androids were not traditionally made with body hair. It was a strange extra add-on that people could pay for if they chose. (Most of those 'special' buyers were old perverts.)

So Connor's exposed, and smoothly defined chest was as shiny as a Ken doll. A pale and pretty and unbelievably dangerous Ken doll. Spotted with freckles and moles that remained the only 'blemishes' he possessed. Mary gulped, daring to watch him unbutton the last few buttons of the shirt dutifully. Through the gradually spreading thirium stains, was a pack of renaissance level abs sculpted from freaking marble. A funny noise creaked from her throat as the white linen fell away from his skin.

Hysterically she thought in her daze, Michelangelo would be creaming his pants.

"Mary?"

"Huh?"

Her wide eyes were absentmindedly scanning over his open chest like she was reading a book. It looked to be a pretty great story.

"...There's another biocomponent starting to come undone. Could you...?"

Bio-what? Bio... Oh! He's bleeding! She snapped out of her stupor, grabbing her tools. "Shoot! I'm sorry, I-i'll-"

"Thank you."

”Y-yeah.”

She finally got back to work.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legend has it~ that if you look close enough, you can see exactly where the author got embarrassingly carried away with drawing out the abs reveal.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I had a lot of trouble with this one so I hope it isn't too tedious or choppy or confusing. I'm not used to writing action. ^^'


	7. half drunk coke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those sticking with this thing. Unfortunately, future updates could be even slower, as I'm starting school again next week. But bear with me! I will try my best to update as quickly as I can between homework and drama class. This chapter is a whopping 5,095 words long, so i hope you enjoy it. (Semi-edited, sorry in advance for typos and confusion)

Rumors about what was found at the Burke house spread around the station like a plague. Rumors about what on earth could have made Fowler crack at five in the morning after the search officers came in bearing evidence that would flip the aware up on their heads. Gossip about Fowler nearly flipping his desk, or yelling at the team were out of the question for a cooler sort of man. Talk of the Captain folding into himself and looking absolutely shaken was much more probable, and the most popular response when one asked the search officers who were in the room with him. Even then, that was a stretch. The one other time Fowler had snapped in front of everyone was over the Stratford Tower broadcast. To the outside world's knowledge, it was the first day the androids finally took charge. Around a month before Mary transitioned from recruit to rookie.

And blissfully unaware of the whisperings, Mary was just clocking in when the phone in her hand vibrated to life.

 

Unknown Caller ID

_(313) 181-1800_

[CALLING!]

 

A tiny grunt rumbled from her throat. It was too early to get some ominous ‘unknown’ call. She squinted at her angrily vibrating phone, trying to figure out who she knew with a 181 number. It definitely wasn’t her mother. Not the precinct obviously, and not Captain Fowler’s work contact either, with was professionally labeled ‘ _Cap’n holt_.’ She snickered at her stupid reference as she stared down at the device. Might as well answer, before she made someone mad. She hit the green button.

“Hello. Officer Lind speaking?”

On the other line, she heard a raspy voice. “Good morning, Mary.”

“Good morning.” Mary yawned complacently.

She then did a double take, backing up into the wall behind her. “Wait hold on, Connor is that you? How did you get my number?” As she spoke her voice got softer and more secretive. _This could have been important._

“Yes, this is Connor.” There was the static-y sound of fabric rustling in his background. Along with a loud breathing that was way too close to the speaker. The officer suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, despite the tiny smile that had wormed its way over her face. Hopefully, he was just inexperienced with using a phone? “To answer your other question, the DPD has a ‘personel contact’ list installed into its terminals and databases.”

“Of course they do.” Mary sighed, crossing an arm over her belly. “Well, uh, it’s nice to hear your voice Connor, but is your face really close to your phone?”

“I… I suppose you could say that?” Her eyebrows knit. “I don’t have a need for a phone, Mary. As an android, I have access to data plans and can send both messages and calls internally.”

Mary waved to a passing coworker, asking, “So, from your head?”

“In layman's terms.” Connor dryly replied.

“Huh. That’s kinda cool!”

He paused a moment. “I-I suppose. Why do you ask?”

“I dunno, there's some weird breathing noise coming from your line.”

“Breathing…?” he paused. “Oh, that’s only Lieutenant Anderson’s dog. Perhaps I’m laying too close to his snout?”

Mary perked up. “Dog? Hank has a dog? What kind? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“He’s a Saint Bernard, and a very healthy one at that,” Connor informed, almost proudly. “His name is Sumo.”

What a cute name! The officer’s face lit up as she cooed,

“Hello, Sumo!”

“I doubt he can hear you, Officer.” He sounded faintly interested as he asked, “Do you like dogs, as well?”

She laughed into her phone. “Well, it’d be weird if I didn’t since I’ve got a goofy yellow lab back at my apartment. I call him Maggie.” The high pitched ‘really?’ on the other line sent Mary into a fit of silent but badly contained giggles. People were starting to give her funny looks. Not that she noticed, too far into the conversation. “I’m assuming you’ve got a thing for dogs too, huh?”

“But of course.” Connor didn’t even hesitate.

“Wow. Even androids can’t resist puppies. What’s not to love, right?” She smiled.

There was a deep rumbling noise in Connor’s background. “Coming, Lieutenant.” He quietly responded. Footsteps followed after. They must’ve been on their way.

“So was there anything else you wanted?” Mary smiled into her phone, “Other than to brag about your furry friend?”

There was the loud sound of a door shutting. “I felt it necessary to ask if you knew anything about what Captain Fowler is asking us to come to his office for. He sounded... distressed.”

“Asking us? I didn’t get anything about that. Or maybe I did?” The officer let out a sigh. “Well, I hope it’s not about another ‘partner.’ I don’t think poor Hank could handle any more of me as is. Let alone another crazy person to warm up to.”

“I don’t believe the captain would add a fourth person  to our... team unless it was absolutely needed.” Connor earnestly went on, “I don’t believe you’re a ‘crazy’ handful if that’s what you’re trying to imply.” His words softened her features. “Hank only needs a few cups of coffee before he can handle all the… excitement.”

There was another rumble on the other line, much more clear now.

“Connor, what the hell are you talking to yourself for?”

“I’m only speaking with Officer Mary.”

She heard Hank grumble.

“Hi, Hank.” The officer called pleasantly.

“She says hello.”

Hank gruffed a short, “Hey kid. Don’t run off until we get there, I mean it.”

The tartness of his voice made her laugh. He must have only been on his first mug with how grumpy he sounded. “I’ll wait by the Captain’s office okay? Something tells me it’s about yesterday.”

Connor relayed the information sophisticatedly back to Hank, who okayed the decision and got to driving. They’d be there soon. So the android ended the call with a soft, ‘I’ll see you in a moment.’ The officer wished him goodbye.

 

Mary made quickly sure to write his contact name as, ‘ _Detective Connor :)_ ’

 

Glass doors swung open, and the three found themselves back in the place they started. Chilly waves of power still intimidatingly rolled over the small troop. Thankfully, no new additions awaited them. Just scowling Captain Fowler.

“Morning Hank, Lind.” He nodded.

Hank copied the action. “Jeffery.”

"Hello, captain." Mary greeted friendlily from the back.

“You’re on time for once.”

The lieutenant smirked. “Connor didn’t wanna keep anyone waiting again.” The captain gestured for them to sit, turning to sift through a pile of papers on his desk. It was much larger than usual; he must have been bogged down with even more case calls. Perhaps he’d called them to tell about another incident. Or was this much more serious? Strangely, something felt off. Connor scanned the desk’s other contents, spying the glistening plastic of several bags. Evidence presumably from yesterday’s case. His gaze panned to the captain’s expression, tight and weary. Something was weighing him heavily down this morning. Connor watched Hank, while the officer expectantly stared at him. It took him a minute to realize that she was waiting for him to take the second chair. Quietly, he gestured for her to take it instead. She hesitantly obeyed, the two of them looking to Fowler for answers. Breaking the silence, Hank asked, “Any particular reason we’re being called in this early again? Me and Connor don’t technically have to come in for another two hours.”

“There’s been some complications.” Fowler reached over and held up one of the plastic bags. Inside rested the printer-paper ‘business letter’ from the Burke household. Under his jacket, Hank bristled. He took the bag in his hands. “Other than the half a ton of red ice buried under the house, we scanned the letter and there’s a hell of a lot more to this than some resurfaced dealer. Potential city-threat level shit.” The lieutenant turned the letter over in his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mary peer cautiously over his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

Fowler grabbed a blinking screen boxed off at the ends with arrow-like metal handles. Tugging at these handles, the screen expanded in his hands, and he pulled a slab of metal out from the bottom end. A stand. Sitting it on his desk to face the three like a television, he tapped its surface. The blinking halted and flickered into what looked like the scan of the letter.

It read as follows,

  _May 31st, 2039_

_Llet_

 

_Mr. B. and Close Relations_

_149 Downey St._

_Detroit, MI 48226_

 

_B,_

_Thank you for contacting us._

_As I'm sure you're aware, there have been murmurings of new technology all across town. Llet can assure you that all these murmurings are completely true. We'd bet you've even heard of a few fellow businessmen preordering their new additions, bragging about the enhancements they've scheduled to be implanted into their arm or leg. And you've come to us asking for some information._

_You'll get it. As long you follow our exact instructions. Our soldier, Mr. Smalls, will be waiting on you or your substitute at the Bayfort cafe in the Marina District. He is a lean boy, you'll know him when you see him. You'll get all the information you need if you correctly pass him a nicely written agreement for a third of your stocks. Nothing too major, right? Then, and only then will you two talk business. It's a good trade for what you'll be getting. With all the things that you could do with some enhancements, handing in all that ice should be as easy as pie. Once you hand him the agreement, he'll discuss what we know. And you'll be out of there in no time. No strings attached._

_You may use the weapons you get however you want, but we ask that you keep us out of this. Do not waste our time with too many unrelated  questions either. Any funny business, however, and you'll not only be taken off the table but dealt with severely. That means no company, no weapons, and no 'hidden' cameras. _We're sure you'll understand._ _

_Be there at 4:00P on the 16th in the last booth or lose the only opportunity you're gonna get. Cancellation is unfortunate but rescheduling is out of the question. Smalls will not wait long._

_Your humble cap,_

_Laurens_

 

 

Nobody spoke for quite some time.

Mary turned the words 'new technology' over in her head until she felt dizzy. Human 'enhancements', or whatever that letter read, hadn't been achieved in all the years that Cyberlife or it's divisions had been in business. It was the very next step that so many engineers like her mother's coworkers had worked their asses off to achieve. And she would know. She'd met quite a few of them. No one had ever been able to keep their half-machine specimens alive. And those that did live only lost an arm or a leg in the process. Each attempt ended up an awful failure. Currently, such risky gambles of human life were completely illegal. Even if someone got the okay to begin some prototypes, the cost to start was astronomically high. No one but Cyberlife could afford it. Though, Cyberlife couldn't be behind such a feat either. Not with one of the famous revolution leaders 'North' currently working as its newly minted CEO. Policies had been completely reformed, and the company now served as the running advocate for android rights. Androids were no longer shipped but sent personally, like a human maid. The third generation of androids was no longer made created to be merchandise but equals. No longer would they be told they are only machines, now encouraged to enforce their free will that others had fought to gain. Android production had, of course, remained unaffected since the revolution, but North and her partner (the true deviant leader Markus) had morals. Plenty of good morals and heaps of virtue. Why would she want to bring even more controversy crashing down onto them? They definitely couldn't be the source.

...But then who was? Mary wanted to be excited about such an unprecedented success. She wanted to jump up and down and throw confetti! The use of such technology could mean prosthetics, machine/human brain altercations, and internal android communication and interfacing! But a weight in her belly kept her down.

That success was illegal. That success went straight to the black market after it's discovery. That success could be being passed around like a bottle of crown by the worst of the worst, right this second. Easily and effortlessly weaponized by those who only saw it as their own gain. Eventually, the room knew just how serious the news was. And here she was thinking she'd had a pretty great morning. Suddenly quieted with shock, she fearfully glanced at her teammates.

Eventually, the silence was broken by Captain Fowler taking a long sip of inky coffee. He then haplessly set it to the side and looked Hank in the eye. 

"We found some torn-up letters in the kitchen trash can. Burke and this 'Laurens' have been speaking for at least three months." The officer winced into herself at the mention of the kitchen, memories of yesterday's gorey events still fresh in her mind. "If whatever this letter is saying has even a sliver of truth, we've gotta get all that back in its box. Way back in. There is no way we can let something that powerful out too far into the public." Fowler reached back over to his coffee and downed a little more. "We're waiting on the call back from Cyberlife right now, North and Markus will be contacted ASAP. But in the meantime, you're all on this case. You’ve got plenty of dealer experience and your state of the art prototype to help you along, plus some back up if you run into any trouble."

The lieutenant sighed into his hands, burying his face in them exhaustedly. He had _two_ new responsibilities now.

"Jesus Christ, you'd think they'd give us a little while before the city was in grave danger again, huh?" 

"You'd think." The captain echoed, leaning back in his chair. He still wore that haunted expression. "But that info lead looks promising. You'll all need to start thinking about what to wear, because going undercover and meeting 'Smalls' is your best bet."

Hank groused through his fingers, "Fucking obviously." A pause. "That's gotta have something to do with all the missing androids and homicides."

"That's what I said... I want you to come straight back and review everything, once you've got everything you can from their soldier. Write down everything as soon as you leave the guy and I mean everything--"

"Yeah, yeah I get it, Jeffery, stop busting my balls." The captain raised an eyebrow, his face squinting into a scowl. "Damn, I don't think I've gone undercover in ten years. Last time, it was on a goddamn boat full of red ice. And not even all the shit that happened after that stopped all the production.” Beside him, the young officer thought back to her formal debriefing on Lieutenant Anderson, dimly remembering something about the infiltration of a massive red ice stash hidden away in a massive ship. It was said that it was one of the most impressive heists that Detroit had ever seen to date. It was on the news too, wasn't it? Back when she was a kid, she guessed. That very event was what made Hank a lieutenant in the first place. Mary found herself somewhat surprised at the calm, almost disappointed exterior Hank was putting up. To her, this diluted irritation was even more awakening. Maybe he too was grasping just how grave the situation was.

"Lind," She sat up, "you'll have to come along with them in case something goes wrong."

"Yes, sir."

He continued, "After Cyberlife calls back, I'll email you the letter if you need to study it. In the meantime, I want you three planning and the completed report of yesterday's events better be on my desk by the end of the day." The captain collapsed the screen and sent them on their way with a wave of his hand. And they got to work.

Mary didn't immediately leave the office, Connor noted. When he got up to hold the door for his teammates, she asked him to go ahead and stuck around to speak with Captain Fowler. It wasn't a long talk. Perhaps it was something about the night before?

She _did_ look a little disturbed going back to the precinct that night, he thought back. The brief memory of her uncomfortable, pink painted features glowing in the car's backseat stuck out to him. It was... strangely upsetting. Had he done something wrong? She seemed incredibly disoriented when he'd asked her whether or not his shirt had gotten in the way of her work. As though embarrassed. For some reason she apologized for this behavior, finishing up his repairs and catching the next bus to wherever. He never got the chance to ask what for. Asking Hank about why she'd react so negatively was a fruitless endeavor, as the lieutenant got as flustered as she and only told him not to phrase the question so forwardly. Whatever that meant to imply. Searching the internet yielded no viable or comprehensible results either. All he came up with were strange documents and weirdly sensual pieces of modern art. After Hank fell asleep, the android went to bed endlessly puzzled and covered in dog fur.

Once again, he found himself wondering what was going on in the strange woman’s head.

The moment Connor had logged onto his terminal and forced himself to stop prying, she ran out of the office and took her usual place on the floor.

"What was that about?" Hank murmured uninterestedly.

"Nothing." She replied. [Relief] had loosened her jaw, and dilated her pupils. She couldn’t waste too much time being at ease. Slowly she began to reach for a small notebook in her pocket. "Just had to ask him about something."

 

* * *

 

 

"Good afternoon to you two~! Welcome to the Bayfort cafe! My name is Jordan, I'll be your server today. Can I start you guys off with a few drinks?"

Under the gaze of the expectant waiter, Mary and Hank were sweating under all their layers. The weather in the lovely marina district was being particularly finicky that day. At one moment it was looking to be particularly cold and heated up into a humid mess later on. So, of course, dressed in warm scarves and sweaters, the two humans suffered in a tight booth while lucky, temp-insensitive Connor chilled out bright and early for the meeting with the guy. Sitting in the chilly, boring car with that other officer in the middle of December was looking pretty good to the medic right about now.

"...Just a coke, please." She replied.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. And for you, sir?"

Hank looked him dead in the eye, sweating rolling terrifyingly down his brow.

"Put as much cold beer into a cup as you can fit, and then set it gently onto the table. Bring three."

"Yes, sir." Terrified, he then walked off in a hurry.

Miserably, the two let out the biggest sigh in the world.

The lieutenant clenched his fists. "I'm gonna start fucking stripping like a Traci... in front of all these god damn people _if I spend one more minute in this hot ass place_." Mary fanned herself with a menu as Hank went on, "Aren't... eughh... Aren't businesses required to have air conditioning?"

"Hank, we're in Michigan." The officer reminded, improvised fan whipping her in the face at full speed. It was a start, at least. "Plus, I-i don't think we would feel the air through these outfits."

"Goddamn weather app... Here pass me one of those menus, I'm gonna die." As she handed him the other menu, her phone went off in her pocket.

Connor had agreed to pose as Burke's fake substitute, internally sending them messages only a few feet away. At first, Mary had seemed incredibly amazed at the feature, her face lighting up the car as he sent her a text as a test.

The loud ' _oh my gosh!_ ' almost drove Hank off the freeway. She then proceeded to take Hank's panicked yelling for about five minutes. But a conversation about his other features ensued soon after. Could he send pictures and videos? Did he ever use the feature with Hank? Could he facetime with that crazy robot brain?! Before Connor could answer the questions, they pulled into the closest parking spot and ran out into the surprising heat. He assured her they could continue the conversation sometime else. She would look forward to it.

Mary pulled her phone out from under her and peered at the screen. All four of their drinks arrived promptly after.

 _Detective Connor :)_  
[I believe 'Smalls' has arrived. At the door.]

"The guy's here..." She mumbled, glancing up at the lieutenant. His eyes were already trained on the open doorway. In it, stood the silhouette of a gangly man. The moment one laid eyes on him, they could tell he was suspicious. His face was stretched long and his jaw was thin. Like an emaciated rat caught in a taffy puller. Paired with the zits and the greasy straw-colored hair, Mary thought he looked like some teenaged creep who sold you suspicious candy on the side of the road. Smalls was a good nickname for the guy. Any thinner and he'd fall over like a pile of sticks. Grimacing into her soda, she texted Connor back.

 _Officer Mary  
_ [We'll keep watch. Keep that beanie low, robocop.]

Connor almost smiled, hiding his LED on command. In the last booth, holding a perfect copy of the letter, and a false 'deed' to a third of Mr. Burke's products, he beckoned the man over.

Another thing Mary had been absolutely astonished by, was the RK series' ability to change their voices. During his time at cyberlife, Connor had been given a vast library of over fifteen hundred different voices. Each was designed specifically for certain cases and situations. Additionally, he was aware that he could take on the voices of other people, and androids alike. Connor remembered the last few times he'd had to take on another voice. Once in the station's evidence room, and once in the dreaded elevator on the day things had to change. He hadn't tried it since then, not needing to practice. But the day before, he picked out a gruff but fitting voice. He'd made it his goal to not only sound but _speak_ like the role he was playing. A steely but unpredictable and unnamed associate of Mr. Randy Burke's humble establishment. Cautiously, Smalls folded himself into the chair before him.

The associate cleared his throat.

"Are you Smalls?"

He didn't answer. But Connor didn't technically need to ask.

_// Scanning Face… //_

_Ramsey, Luke. Born 9/1/2020. Unemployed._

_Criminal record: Two arrests cleared on bail_ _,  
_ _history of drug usage/dealing._

For a moment, the kid sized-up the considerably intimidating android before him. Behind, Connor felt the eyes of his partners burning into his neck wearily. He was being watched from all ends.

Silently, he hoped he sounded genuine enough.

At last, the skinny boy asked back in a wiry voice, "You got your end of the deal?"

Connor tried to pull his best sneer, still not incredibly good with expressions like other deviants. It was slightly overdone, but it worked he supposed. Baring his teeth like a chimpanzee couldn't be too uncommon around the bay area.

"Why wouldn't I?" He held out the documents. "And I asked you a question, boy."

Smalls didn't like that.

"Hey you better fuckin' watch yourself, man." He spat, getting into the android's face. He stared back cooly.

"Or what?"

The teenager backed up taking deep breaths, still scowling. He snatched the papers from his hands. "Any weapons?"

"No." It was the truth. After a quick scan, he found the Smalls didn't appear to be armed either. Save for a small pocket knife hung on a chain 'round his neck.

 _Detective Connor :)_  
[Smalls is unarmed.]

From a distance, he heard a relieved sigh. He would have done the same if he could. Mary took another long sip of her coke and continued to watch. 

"Right..." Smalls put the deed hastily into the back pocket of his jeans, sliding the letter next to him. "Let's talk business then, Mister."

Connor collectedly dipped his head.

"Let's."

Folding his hands, the boy asked,

"Well, what do ya wanna know?"

Good thing he made a list for this exact moment.

"Who's selling the cyborg gear?" Connor demanded.

His intel's face tightened. "We, uh... We don't know."

The android pretended to be upset.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know? How're you getting ahold of the tech if you 'don't know?'"

Impressed at Connor’s sudden uncharacteristic aggression, Mary and Hank listened in interestedly. The officer wondered to herself what Connor would think of going into the acting business. 

The boy reared up against the back of his chair. "I-i'm sorry, okay! Most of my higher-ups are only preordering them from secondary sources. _No one_ who buys them, or sells them knows who's making everything. No one has even got anything yet. Apparently, everyone's waiting on something, including the sellers." They both settled back into their seats.

"Do you happen to know any of these secondary sources by name? And who in," Connor pulled up the name of the organization the boy was soldiering for, "... _Llet_ has preordered these enhancements?"

Smalls crossed his arms and recalled guardedly, "Some older man who lives uptown. He's part of the less known upper stringers, but I'm sure he's just stuck up his own ass. He's in with the Heidi's after all and he's got tons of other connections. Everyone calls him something weird like... Cicero? It's Roman or something. He's the person to go to for if you want to preorder some of the tech, alright? And, I dunno. I don't have the info on everyone's shit, man."

The android was twitching with information, sending as much as he could back to his partners. Fortunately, the boy didn't notice right away. “Alright. Well, what about the others? Who else is getting this? And how much?”

"Everyone's kinda scrambling to buy as much as they can with all the money they have, and it's starting a shit ton of rivalries. Llet's even gotten into a few tussles with the others recently."

"...Why would everyone have reason to fight over this?"

"Uh," Smalls lowered his voice even more. "this is just a start of a bunch of turf wars. Once everyone has a grip on the places they're gonna cultivate with all their new toys, everything'll die down again. Y'know, unless some dick starts shit in someone else's area." He added, eyebrows knitting in anger.

Turf wars?

"Wait, how far does the area go? For the others, I mean."

The boy laughed. "All across Detroit, my guy. You didn't think your little neighborhood was the only place in the world selling heaps of ice, did you?" Connor attempted to laugh with him. It was a strange hiccupping noise, that awkwardly quieted them both down into silence. Behind him, he registered Hank's facepalm of disappointment. He'd work on that some other time. "Anything else...?" Smalls asked, looking a tad uncomfortable. Once more, Connor referred to his notes.

"The weapons. What kind of weapons are being sold?" For extra measure, he added with an attempt at a smirk, " What kind of damage can they do?"

" _Badass_ damage, from what I hear," Smalls whispered reverently, "Built-in guns and lasers. 'Straight out of the movies. Nanotechnology makes up most of what this mystery guy is selling, but damn does it pack a punch. That's why everyone wants it."

The android held up a hand. "Hold on, I thought you said no one had anything yet? There aren't any cyborgs already are there? How do you know what the tech is like?"

"Well, no ones _touched_ it. Apparently, it's never even actually touched human skin outside of a lab. All the people who've used it still had human arms and legs, so no cyborgs yet, we think. Doesn't mean sellers haven't sent pictures, and demonstrations."

Hurriedly, Connor threw the intel back to his team.

 _Detective Connor :)_  
[Technology already exists and has been created for weapons.  
The gear has 'never actually touched human skin outside of a lab.'  
There are currently no living cyborgs currently.  
Tech can be used without touching a human?]

 _Officer Mary_  
[Oh man...]

Reasonably discomforted at his client's incessant twitching, Smalls asked, "Hey are you having an episode or something, dude?" Connor stilled, his features relaxing back into place. His glassy brown eyes settled on the skinny boy once more. They scrutinized each other for a moment.

"Thank you for the information, 'Smalls,'" Connor said casually. "I think I've gotten all I needed."

The boy nodded.

"Good."

Connor was done here.  The decoy phone went off in his jacket pocket, and he picked it up in an ever sinuous motion. Simple warbles of, 'Be right there's and 'Right's were all it took to escape from the awkward exchange. He got to his feet and, without a word, left the confused boy in the back of the cafe. 

Smalls couldn't help but feel slightly offended. All that talking and he just bounces without a word? Not even a quick coffee or two? He steadily fumed in his seat, focusing on the letter at his side. Wondering why on earth Burke didn't just send his bitch of a wife. She would have been much easier to deal with. He never mentioned sending... The boy looked up from the table, leaping to his feet and running out the door in a panic. The humidity stung his thin face with stick and sweat. But he was too late. Gone was the odd man in the beanie, and the antique of a car that waited outside for him. Disappointed, and suddenly full of dread, he trudged back into the cafe. A big soda and a burger could help him get over this pointless fear. What was the worst that could happen anyway? The man obviously knew Burke. There was no way he could have been anyone else. He opened the glass doors a third time.

Strange... He could have sworn there was a pair of people in that booth by the window. But all that waited was a half full coke and three tall, empty glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


	8. tell me more, tell me more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited. Sorry for any typos! I wanted to get out one last smaller chapter before high school started, just so the people who follow this don’t feel as starved in the next month. Thank you for your support, it’s appreciated as always. :)

Cerulean light flitted over Connor's speckled features as he made his way through the precinct. It was around the time Hank went to grab a quick bite at a nearby food truck. Better known as most of the station’s break. After being told to ‘just hang out until Hank got back’ Connor had, of course, decided to go looking for his medic. He’d gotten a small tip from an anonymous caller that could prove especially useful to the investigation. Since Hank had refused to listen until he'd had his daily intake of cholesterol, it seemed Mary was the next best candidate. Plus, she seemed to be much more acquainted with the concept of ‘hanging out’.

He made a sharp left, peeking into the break room. It wasn’t as empty as usual, with a staggering three people occupying the corner table and a sleepy Detective Reed leaning up against the vending machine. Sandwiched between Officer Chen and Clemons, sat happy, cola-sipping Mary. She seemed to have momentarily forgotten the looming stress of the case.

“...good for you then!”

They already seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. So the android did the polite thing and waited his turn, listening in interestedly. He remained unnoticed as he rested against the break room doorframe. 

“You still haven’t answered the question, Inspector Gadget.”

Mary giggled into her soda absentmindedly.

“Don’t call me that, Tina.”

“Well don’t change the subject, then! You’ve gotta have _at least_ a few things to say about it.”

It? Automatically, his audio processors adjusted their volume.

"There's not much to say!" The girls broke into laughter at her exasperation. Theatrically, Officer Clemens raised imaginary microphone to her elbow partner’s lips.

”Tell us miss, what exactly is work with Anderson and his stiff like?” Mary shooed the press away with a snort.

”You shouldn’t call _him_ names either! Gosh, you guys are terrible...”

Tina playfully whined into her friend’s shoulder. “Every time we ask you anything you get swept up in _another_ thing. Of course, I'm gonna be a little impatient. Can’t a girl get a tip?”

”Didn’t I already tell you nerds everything was fine back at that apartment homicide?”

”That doesn’t count!” Officer Chen protested.

Gavin's head raised slightly from it's resting place, close-eyed features momentarily scrunching. "Could'jou guys keep it the phhck down??" He snapped.

They obeyed with humored grins, laughter dwindling down into soft chuckles. No one wanted to deal with a pissy, napless Gavin. And usually, telling him to go sleep somewhere else was a bad idea. There were plenty of times Gavin had cussed someone out for bothering him while he slept and each time it seemed like for each drop of drool he lost, his language got ten times more colorful. So they settled down and tried to cease their laughter as best they could.

Eventually, Mary spoke up.

"It's nice, alright? They're both nice to me and don't give me any grief. Unlike some people." She added, throwing her friend a glance. Playfully Tina shoved her for the quip, gesturing for her to continue. "Um. Well, the lieutenant is definitely a good man. He's got a good head on his shoulders, and he's surprisingly patient with me. But I can tell he gets pretty close to losing it on both of us."

Clemens murmured, "I'm sure he's had plenty of practice with patience ever since he started taking care of that hunk of plastic."

"Maybe... Connor's not bad either though."

"No?"

"No," She echoed, a small smile on her face. The android in question paused. Drawn back from a moment of spacing out, his head discreetly tilted her way. “He's super... polite a-and nice mannered.” She tugged distractedly on a lock of her umber hair, her thumbs busy rubbing at the ends. “He’s really chilled out most of the time. And theres never been a time he hasn’t made something nicer. Just a nice guy to be around.” Each strand seemed so suddenly definite in Connor's slowly zooming vision. “ _He's_ really the most patient of the two. 'Kinda keeps Hank together, but keeps him on his toes too. It's so nice that they both sort of pick each other up all the time. And he's always super sweet to everyone he meets.” Officer Chen and Clemens shared a look he couldn't quite interpret. Not through all the slowly building [Flattery].

"Ooh, he is?" Tina cooed. 

The youngest nodded, dropping her hand. "It's nice. Gentlemen are in so short supply nowadays." She sighed, leaning back against her friend. 

"You said it, sis." Clemens agreed. She stood up from the table, carrying her leftover's with her to her desk in the back offices. Cheekily, she greeted before she left; "Oh and hello, Connor."

"Good afternoon, Officer Clemens." The android dreamily replied, not really hearing her.

On the other hand, Mary was a bit quicker.

Several things happened gracefully at once. There was a loud clanging of an empty soda can falling to the floor and a strangled squeak that tore itself from the clenched throat of officer Mary Lind. She struggled to get to her feet, reminded too late that the chair was a bit high for her and nearly falling on her face. Fortunately, Tina helpfully caught her by the arm. _Unfortunately_ , Mary now hung  in a pose so awkward it could have rivaled an ameteur synchronized swimmer.

“Officer?!” The android was quick to help her. Mary was quicker. Rolling over and popping back up to her feet as smooth as she could, she steadied herself in front of him. Pink as a ballerina. Tina, caught in the middle, eased herself back into her chair. Softly, she murmured in awe as the others caught their breath, ‘holy shit.’

“Whats going on, dude?” Mary creaked, straight as a board.

Connor gave her a look.

”Miss Lind, your heart rate has increased exponentially in so little time,” He fussed, “And your face has completely flushed. I should really be the one asking if you’re—”

“Whaat? I feel great. Just peachy.”

Another, more incredulous look.

”Sorry?”

”I’m great!” She relayed.

She definitely didn’t look great, nearly falling back over as she tried to put her weight on the table she’d fallen from. Her elbow slipped, her arm dipped, and her patient jolted to steady her by the shoulders. Connection. The firm grip quieted her, and once again she was stable. It was a momentary, fleeting, but strong touch. The pressure was reassuring.

He let her go the second they could comfortably meet eyes. “I’m great.” She repeated.

 All was quiet save for the stomping footsteps of Detective Reed storming out of the break room in a huff. Muttering curses. He was just too tired to yell at everyone for their stupidity. Maybe his desk chair would hurt less than the damned glass of that machine.

Shyly, Mary asked with a weak chuckle, ”D-did you need anything?”

The android gathered himself up, the two scooting a little ways away from each other.

”I did.” He confirmed, fixing his tie. “I was wondering if we could sit for a moment, so I could speak with you about the investigation.”

Mary felt Tina’s eyes burning into her neck. She tried for a smile.  

“Oh? Uh, cool. Yeah, we can go do that.” He didn’t move, big brown eyes still boring into her own as usual. “Like right now, you mean?”

”Yes, now.”

And so they went.

Behind her, Tina carefully watched her friend leave the room and peeped her head out to watch them settle into their seats. Mary on the hard ground and the android strangely on top of his desk. And they talked. Scheming away about their new mission and such. Leaving poor patrol-duty Tina out of the fun.

Still, the woman broke into a lopsided smile. Whatever three were talking about was definitely breaking Mary back into her usual passionate self. And the android didn’t look too bad either. A certain feeling of pride that best friends were terribly familiar with started flooding her chest. It was always nice to see your little siblings make a new friend. Strolling back over to her half finished taco, she sat down and adjusted her cap. With a mouthful of Taco Bell and a tiny sigh, she only nodded to herself.

”Yeah,” she thought aloud, suspicions confirmed. “Definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3


	9. scratchity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the big hiatus! High school is kicking my ass and I've been using all my library time to write this. Thanks to everyone sticking with this, I genuinely appreciate it.

Crisp air painfully stung Mary in the face as she jogged. It was a frosty late afternoon, the sun getting lower in the sky and the shrill hiss of cars whistling in her pink ears. She’d found that cold days like these were perfect for taking a quick jog, especially before work. Less sweat to clean. Soon she’d have to meet everyone at the station again, freshen up and descend into yet another case.

Until then, she’d decided to run her stress out with her beloved Maggie padding dutifully beneath her. For them, these brief runs were almost therapeutic. A moment in the chill to get out any energy and finally interact. They didn't get much of a chance after Mary came home, especially when that usual arrival was delayed for up to five hours. The guilt of not being able to attend to him as much was chest tightening for the officer. Without all the time-regulated gear she'd bought, she'd hardly be able to keep him. And playing tag with the roomba all the time couldn't have been the best social option.

_You came here to unwind._

"...Good boy, Magnus." She praised, reaching down to scratch his back. Eager for attention, he shoved his wet nose into her hand. Mary smiled.

They'd stopped at the usual corner, Mary’s compact Toyota heavily dormant near the front of their apartment complex. The two took a moment to breathe in the cold. Before the officer could wipe the sweat off her forehead, the phone in her pocket went off.

_Rouh! Rouh, rouh!_

“Quiet Maggie.” She snipped, greeted for the second time this month with an unknown number. Strangely, the home screen was ablaze with text messages, though she didn’t remember hearing anything during the jog. The texter’s name was blocked by the flashing unknown caller, so she couldn’t exactly tell who it was. Below, Magnus nudged at her hands, just as perplexed as his owner.

_Ignore [O]_

_Answer [-X-}_

“LIND.”

She almost dropped the phone.

“Yeah?!” The officer squeaked.

“Awh, thank god..." The voice wheezed. From its background came a loud barking noise and a distinctly raspy voice commanding someone down from somewhere.

" _Hank_?" The woman leaned into her phone, dread bleeding into her in waves. "W-what's going on over there? Are you guys okay??"

"Look I— Houghh.. my god. C-can you come down here?"

She looked down at Magnus, unsure. What on earth could the esteemed Lieutenant Anderson and his perfectly engineered partner not handle? The dog had sat down to pant beside her, looking up with toffee-tinted curiosity. Brown eyes... Instantly, she was reminded of her priority.

"What for? Is Connor okay!?"

"What? Of course he is! AH—! H-he's a fuckin' war machine, kid! Just get down here before we run out of time!"

She didn’t like the sound of running out of time. So, Mary tried not to ask questions. Though, making her way to the car with her active pup tailing her presented a slight complication. She wasn't close enough to the entrance, the bus stop was a block away and the next bus wouldn't be coming for another hour.   _There might not be enough time._

Looking between Maggie and her car door, she creaked, "Uhhh...! Is your doggy scared of other doggies, Lieutenant?"

"For fuck's sake, can't you just talk like an adult for a minute?"

"Time sensitive question, sir!"

"Yes!” Hank cried. “Sumo is friendly! Why the hell does it matter!?" She ushered Magnus into the backseat of her car, replying with a heave.

"I-i'll be there in a bit. If Connor's really alright, tell him to send me directions please!" Hank groaned into his device and pressured the officer to just get there. "Will do!"

"Thanks! AGH, _SHIT_ , GET DOWN FROM THERE YOU LARD HEA—" He hung up.

Down from where!? Panicking, she drove into the street like a bat out of hell and opened the back window for Magnus to stick his muzzle out. (At times he could get carsick and start whining and it really wouldn't be good for Mary's heart if he was howling and barfing the whole ride.) The sound of wind much louder now, she silently hoped Hank didn't live on the other side of town.

 

"Connor?! What happened?!"

To some, it would have been concerning to see a leash-wielding woman drenched in sweat bursting through your front door. Especially when the leash was connected to a lean and capable looking yellow lab, his hackles raised in preparation for excitement. But the two terrified men couldn't have been more relieved. It was a gloriously unimpressive spectacle to finally see a savior in a neon-green sports bra. And for a split second, the pandemonium inside the house briefly ceased. That is until a bristling squirrel bounded into the room. Or rather, what came after.

The entire house delved back into chaos when a slobbering, gigantic saint bernard came sprinting after the streaking rodent. Loud wails and commands shouted from each corner of the room after the dog, and everyone was suddenly pulled into it at once. Some more the most. For example, the minute Magnus saw a squirrel, he took after the only other dog in the room and yanked Mary head-first into the madness. Before she could scream about the slobbering, gigantic saint bernard obviously. Concurrently, her priority had apparently been running all around the room trying to coax Sumo away from the intruder. So far, his various attempts at getting ahold of his collar were all in vain. And the rodent would most definitely not listen to reason. Hank was just yelling and trying to keep the only furniture he owned from falling over in the craze. For once, _he_ was the one coming behind Connor and fixing the mess.

Barking, squeaking, and yelling were probably all neighbors heard for miles.

Pulled into the fray, Mary shielded her face, trying to get a grip on her dog. Useless shouts of Magnus's name were getting her nowhere. In lieu of this, she simply resorted to running around like an idiot trying her best to tackle the out of control pup. The leash was absolutely useless against the power of squirrel-craze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sumo launch himself over her and the couch, stepping briefly onto her back and sending her falling flat on her face. Magnus followed right after him. It didn't even hurt. As she scrambled to her feet, the officer narrowly avoided being knocked back down by Connor's legs as he struggled after the dogs. "Excuse me, officer!" He managed. They were already almost back around the corner. She wiggled in disgust as she felt the scratchity little paws of the escapee run across her bare back. And froze up at the stamp of heavy paws thundering her way.

She'd have to make a split-second decision, and quick. Or she'd be ground into the carpet.

Barrel-rolling until she was flush with the couch, she let Sumo pass and cleverly grabbed out for her terror's collar with the speed she was known for.

And immediately she was yanked from her safety and pulled water-ski style after her dog. She let out a ruffled scream. Where on earth was this undogly strength hours earlier?

"M-Magnus! Maggie, _heel_!" Mary squeaked, heels stomping with all their strength into the floor. Carpet burns would be worth stopping the mayhem. A cough and vibration in her hands told her he was starting to repent. As he continued to strain against her grip, she felt Sumo's shoulder brush past her and barrel into Hank as the squirrel decided to make a quick detour. The only way she knew the excited dog had missed its target was the responding flurry of swears from Lieutenant Anderson's end. Something like 'OH DAMN IT— YOU'RE GONNA POP SOMETHING!'

On the other side of the room, before Connor could interfere, he caught sight of it.

The squirrel had wriggled its way from under the rolls of fur and whiskey stained cloth.

It now stared down the android before it warily. Its head twitched from side to side, looking for more danger. Looking for more trouble.

At the moment Sumo was nose-bullying Hank around for his new chew toy, and Magnus was barking his tail off in the excitement. They were only following their instincts, just wanting to see what on earth was up with the crazy ball of fur. It wasn't their fault they were making a mess trying to get it!

But that _squirrel_.

Slowly, Connor's eyes narrowed.

It was shameful for a model of his caliber struggle to capture such an easily disposable creature. He wouldn’t let some lowly rodent upset the messy balance of the Anderson residence any longer. Sinuously, he lowered himself into a stance so predatory it could have rivaled a stalking wolf. Body twisted to the side, head lowered, hands and legs twitching to chase after their target.

The squirrel made its last wrong move.

"Got'cha!"

_Squeeaak!_

Each of the dogs perked up in sync.

Held up in the hair above his head, Hamilton style, was the spastic flailing squirrel. Its bushy tail kept repeatedly wagging in the android unfazed face but nevertheless, the trouble had been caught. The dogs broke from their moorings once more and began to jump on his chest excitedly. Begging to play a little more.

"Get down, Sumo!"

"Get down, Magnus!"

The two exasperated dog owners dragged their pets down to earth again. Not that Connor paid their heavy paws mind. He was happy to meet a new friend, no matter the circumstances.

Mary knelt down, held Magnus's narrow head to her chest and scratched his ears, apologizing profusely. "I-i shouldn't have let him go in the first place, that just cause you guys a bunch of t-trouble. Sorry for anything he did. I-i'll pay if he broke anything." She added.

"Don't bother," Hank grumbled. "It was my fault that I didn't see the damn squirrel come in. Plus, Sumo was probably the only one who did any real damage." He glanced ruefully at the overturned couch cushions, and the recliner, with now rested heavily on the floor.

The android didn't have the time to listen to the rest of the conversation. There were bigger rats to fry. Connor made his way to the window, still incredibly displeased with the intruder. It was almost disappointing to know that the rodent wouldn't understand if he shared a few choice words with it. Perhaps he wouldn't have cared as much if the squirrel had just minded its own business and avoided the house like any other squirrel. Perhaps he wouldn't have cared as much if the squirrel had asked _politely_ to be let in, so Connor could have shut the door in its polite _rat_ face. Perhaps... he was getting carried away with his emotions. Which, according to Markus, was to be expected.

The android paused to scrutinize the struggling rodent. All this trouble for a bite-sized snack. Maybe he should just feed it to the dogs, he considered. A little welcoming gift for Mary's lovable guest. But Connor had a better idea.

He looked around. Mary and Hank had moved to the kitchen. Good. No one was going to see what he'd do next.

Pressing an authoritative finger in its nose, he gave it his all to threaten the squirrel soundlessly. In what Connor perceived as blatant defiance, it stared him dead in the eye as it bit his finger. The android didn't flinch.

He chucked the rodent out of the open window.

How fortunate that it landed safely on the neighbor's roof. Evilly turning to stare at him. Mockingly. Twitching its troublemaking little fingers. Connor practically slammed the window shut.

"Son? Everything alright over there?"

He shut the blinds forcefully. For a moment, he just took some deep breaths. It would be counterproductive to give the animal any more attention.

"All clear." Connor chirped. He decided to join the others.

 

Leaning into the fridge, Hank was opening another beer. At his side, Mary had leaned against the counter to take in details. Mostly because she wasn't sure what else to do, since Magnus and Sumo were getting to know each other in the living room. She looked pleasantly surprised at what she saw, somehow intrigued by the jumbled feeling of the home. It felt like there was a story to everything in sight. Including the dozens of post-it notes all over a particular window. She couldn't make out anything on them but 'don't break again.' Connor watched her smile.

"You want anything?" The officer looked over to see Hank reopening the fridge. "I know I've got a Fanta lying around somewhere. Do toddlers drink Fantas..?"

Mary waved a hand, smiling at his jest. "I-i'm okay, but thank you for offering." He shrugged, shutting the door behind him. "You know, still I can't believe you guys called me over to help catch a squirrel."

"Not sure you can say you helped, kid." He put in. That got a small laugh out of her. Settling down into the nearest chair, he beckoned her over to sit a minute. Or rather he'd feel like he was about to get lectured if she kept leaning against the counter like an angry stage mom. Hesitant, she sat. “What's with the outfit?”

“Um. You kinda called me while I was out jogging with Magnus.” She said, “I wasn’t exactly undercover-ready then.”

“So that's his name…” Hank thought aloud. “Didn’t know you had a dog. But uh, sorry to get you two all riled up right before the investigation.” She shrugged, her shoulders loosening as Connor and the dogs joined them.

“It’s alright. It’s in my job description to help Connor and you out whenever I can, y’know? Squirrel or no squirrel.” From behind, the labrador walked up to her and rested his chin on the table. Just like his crazy owner, Hank thought.

Contented, his crazy owner pet his head and remarked, “I’m thinking Maggie doesn’t mind it either.” Hank regarded Magnus’s tail, which was gently thwacking against his bare leg. The lieutenant raised an eyebrow.

“I can see that.”

A moment passed. By now, Mary was starting to get a feel of when Connor wanted to talk or just stare at her. Mainly from the feeling of being watched. So it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see him twiddling his thumbs by the doorway. Trying to act like he wasn’t staring, and failing. Casual subtlety didn’t seem to be Connor’s forte.

“What’s up?” She asked him. After a moment of calculation, the android pursed his lips and replied politely,

“May I pet your dog, Miss Lind?”

Taken aback with absurdity, Mary began to snort with laughter. Lieutenant Anderson promptly joined her.

“Y-you don’t have to ask, silly.” The officer giggled.

He looked confused. “It clearly states in nearly every pet care handbook to ask the owner before approaching a dog, no matter the canine’s pretenses.”

“That’s for strangers though.”

“No matter the pretenses.” Connor insisted, not looking like he liked the rule either. In fact, the android looked like he was about to pop a circuit in excitement.

“Well then,” she gestured Magnus’s way simply. The labrador watched them talk.  “Go on ahead. You have my consent as a pet owner to be nice to Magnus and do whatever.” Jokingly, she added, “Just don’t probe him or something.” Almost offended, he gave her a watered down look that roughly translated to, ‘I would never!’ She smirked to herself. The nerve!

But Connor gladly accepted the invitation, and knelt down to Magnus’s level, not expecting the dog to whip around and start nosing into every crevice of his body. Wetly. “Magnus!” Before Mary to could sputter apologies, Connor laughed. He laughed at the dog’s mutual interest, and moved the pet behind his ears.

A laugh, Mary thought. That was new.

“‘Case you hadn’t heard,” Hank chuckled, “he’s got a thing for dogs.”

“I’ve heard.” She blushed. As she did, she joined her patient in scratching and praising the overjoyed canine.

Flaxen fuzz broke loose from Magnus’s pelt as she did, and dropped over Connor’s pant leg. Mixing black with yellow. They watched in quiet mesmerization, speckled hands trailing over the fur, occasionally brushing. It was lovely to see Magnus relax into their hands.

At least Mary thought so.

Something about Connor was just getting Maggie in a cuddly mood which, before she got the medic promotion, wasn't as common as it used to be. She hardly had that anymore with him. After this little talk, she might need to leave him a little more. It was doubtful that they allowed dogs where they were going.

And there was Connor. Entrancing her beloved Magnus like a total dog whisperer.

 

She appreciated it.

“Anyway,” Hank cleared his throat, “About the case.”

“The case.” Mary echoed. She did her best to look away from her two sweet hearted responsibilities. Beside her, one perked up and listened in. “Are you gonna wear something different for the undercover part of everything?”

The table had mixed reactions.

Through the dog kisses, Connor relayed, “Hank put away his outfit before I got to scan it completely.” Across the table, the lieutenant rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary for him.”

“Not gonna dress up for some uptown club we’ll leave after an hour.” Hank put in tiredly.

“Well, I certainly hope you’re not showing up in boxers and that shirt.”The officer quipped. “I don’t wanna have to avoid more than two old men tonight.”

Disdainfully, the lieutenant frowned Mary’s way. The look made her falter.  She looked down at her hands. Another bit of quiet.

“What about you then, jackass?”

“Me?”

“What’s so special about whatever you’re wearing? I’m guessing you handpicked it from your toy Barbie closet?”

The accusation made her scoff. Pouting at the floor, she murmured, “It’s not a B-barbie closet. And yes! I _did_ handpick them. A pretty jean skirt and a button up tank-blouse.” As she spoke, she outlined the items in the air and glanced the space over. Almost like she was watching her apparent accomplishment materialize in front of her.

Hank raised an eyebrow. “And where’s that stellar outfit right now, miss neon?”

“My car, thank god,” she sighed, ignoring his tease. “So you don’t have to drag me along in that clunker out front.”

The lieutenant barked out a laugh.

It was a good thing she’d thought ahead for once. It could’ve been a very different day if she hadn’t already put it in the trunk to wait for her. Connor nodded approvingly her way. His roommate often failed to see the usefulness in planning outfits ahead (or in wearing any other jacket), so it was almost surprising to hear of a human he knew wearing something new. Even after the cafe escapade, seeing Mary in her bright... ‘top’ and tight leggings was a bit jarring.

But it wasn’t entirely a bad look for her, he decided. Despite the sweat, she still looked simple. And pretty.

He pushed that thought away.

“There is exactly one hour and forty-six minutes until we must leave,” Connor announced, letting Magnus nudge away from him to run off, “so I’d suggest that you both get ready.”

The officer got to her feet. “Right. T-thank you.”

“Yeah.” Across the table. Hank propped up his feet and got comfortable. “I only need a whiskey and five minutes to get ready, an hour is just pointless. Bathroom’s down the hall, to the right. Freshen up and do all your girly stuff, just don’t slip and break something.”

“Thank you.” She repeated, getting up and petting her puppy’s head as she left out the door. The lab barked after her, then went back to his new friend for love. His new friend watched her go.

Behind, Hank leaned back and cringed. “...Jesus, Connor.”

The android whipped around. “What?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“What is it, Lieutenant?”

“Forget it, it’s nothing, you dork.”

 

Indignant, Connor went back to adoring the labrador in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! It's way shorter than I wanted it but at least it's done. The upcoming chapters are hopefully much more interesting so stay tuned. <3


	10. flexibility

Having inflexible arms was something didn’t think Mary’d have to regret. At least not anytime soon. The only reason she could imagine she’d have to worry about something so strange was if she were in a bind with a villainous Elastigirl. Like she thought, highly unlikely. 

Staring at herself in the mirror, she was almost ready to go off into a strange world of bouncing lights and bright orange. The trio’s newest advancement in the cyborg case was in fast moving club much nicer than anything she’d ever been to. (Of course, she hadn’t been to many clubs for work at all.) According to a tip from a local caller, the ‘Cicero guy’ that Smalls mentioned would be spending his night at the Sunset Lounge. An upscale, brightly colored nightclub used religiously by the few who could afford it. The lounge was a  _ frequent _ haunt for the rich, and the ‘questionably’ wealthy. Swarming with suspects of different calibers and crimes, it would be crazy if this Cicero character WASN’T there. Which is why the gang was nearly off on their way to scope out suspects and keeping an eye out for the mysterious man. And so far, everything was going great. Mary could comfortably say they were prepared for anything, a rare occurence on its own. The station already got the arms warrant in advance, her steely pistol already leaving marks in her thighs. Besides the gun beneath her skirt, she wore around her shoulders her newly engineered first-aid kit. Stocked up on fresh thirium bags, and the essentials, she could patch Connor up in a jiffy, without all the unnecessary weight. She’d downgraded to a practical,  _ mini-bag _ of android organs. After Hank decided to get ready, everything would be going according to plan. Perfect. Mwah! 

All except for one thing. Checking to see how nicely the skirt fit around her bottom for… her own reasons, presented a new issue. Usually, she didn’t have a problem with the tank top. Usually, she remembered not to undo the top buttons at the very back. But she was in a new house with new pictures on the walls. And new smells. Like strong, head-lightening bleach. Yeah. She decided to blame her incoming insolence on the cleaning supplies. It was easier.

Disoriented, she’d figured she could just button them later. Big mistake on her part. Looking in that mirror, after a quick ass-check, she found that her back was on complete display to the world of Hank’s bathroom. Bra and all. 

Oh. Well, that’s unfortunate. But whatever. She could just call for help! 

Unthinking, the officer yelled, “Hey-!” 

Hey, hey, hey, wait!

She slammed her own mouth shut before she could finish that.

She wasn’t with Tina like usual. She couldn’t just ask for her coworkers to  _ button her up.  _ What was she, seven? 

And who would she even call for? Hank definitely shouldn’t see down his way younger coworker’s back. They’d both be too creeped out to even get out the door in time. And just the thought of Connor doing it was… tempting. His deft fingers trailing down the small of her exposed back, the occasional brush of nail on skin. ...W-wait,  _ no _ .

_ No. Shoot! _

Her cheeks began to burn with inner embarrassment. 

What was she even thinking! She was here in a friends bathroom fantasizing about a guy only twenty feet away. She cringed into herself.

_ Tonight, let’s try not thinking about Connor. _

When through the walls she heard the dreaded sound of Hank’s voice asking,

“Can you go check on her, Connor?”

Shoot.

“Will do.” 

Shoot.

And then footsteps came marching down the hall.

Her legs kicked into motion before she could tell them what to do.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot! No, no, don’t come in.” She hissed to no one in particular, nearly ramming herself into the door before she steadied herself against the wall. She sank against it, probably wrinkling her shirt.  Probably panicking way more than necessary. What was the worst that could happen, right? It would only be Connor coming through the door. And, plus, it was locked! She’d locked it hadn’t she?

She turned to see the handle tilting. 

She hadn’t locked it.

“Miss…?”

Light pouring in behind him, Connor walked in to find his medic slumped on the floor against the wall. Right beside him. Staring back at him. Shirt falling off her shoulders from the back. Eyes wide and cheeks… clearly flushed.

Her smile was as weak as could be.

“H-hi, Detective.”

He regarded her with concern, holding out a hand for her to get up.

“...Hello, Officer.” Connor greeted. “Well, erm. There’s no evidence that you just fell so…” He helped her up, and she stood up to bump against his chest. Up close, her face was pink as a peony. They separated. “So what were you doing on the floor?”

Her hands flew to her shirt, pulling it back and trying to ignore the strain. “Nothing!” She assured.

“There’s a very high probability that you’re lying to me, Officer.”

“Nevermind that,” She pressured, her smile fakening, “D-do you need something?”

The android politely averted his eyes from his nearly-dressed coworker. “I was about to ask you the same thing. Did you not just call for us a moment ago?”

“Well uh, yes…” She faltered. “N-no...?” Confused, Connor’s head tilted to one side. “Ugh, I dunno. I-i can’t get these buttons buttoned. I almost called for help, but y’know.” She held out her hand in a gawky shrug. “It might be, uncomfortable for you and stuff… heh.”

The android thought for a moment. His eyes twitched a little as he pulled up what he could on buttoning shirts from behind, and the most comfortable way to do it for your medical officer. Not much popped up. Hm. The statistics he was being given weren’t much good either.

“I don’t see why I’d be uncomfortable. You’ve seen plenty of my midsection lately, so — ” The officer coughed hard. He paused to regard her with a small sigh before he continued, “So it would be polite to help you.” Her nose twitched in surprise.

“E-eh?”

“It’d be polite.” He repeated. Those brown eyes flitted around her shoulders for clues and probabilities. “Without a five minute pilates session, you’re not in anyway capable of reaching behind yourself so far without tearing both your deltoids.”

She held a hand to her chest.

“I-i know, but hey!”

Connor went on, “We’ll have to leave soon either way. Not to mention the health and safety hazards. You’d most likely draw a crowd as well.”

“So... is that a ‘fancy way’ of you saying you want to help out your doctor?”

“Medic.” He corrected kindly.

“Right, u-uh, that kinda sounded weird, sorry.” She creaked similar mutterings as she turned away from him. “G-go ahead then I guess?” Hesitantly, she let the top separate.

Connor gave her a courteously lopsided smile. “Of course, Miss Mary.”

They connected.

She jumped at the cold feeling that suddenly spread against the small of her back. 

They both pulled away. 

“What, what’s wrong?”

“Y-you’re cold!”

He stared at her for a scrutinizing moment. “I’m an android.”

“Androids mimic human heat, the only difference is where it comes from.” Mary crossed her arms over her chest with a shiver. “That’s why airports have thermal scanners now.” She glanced at his hands. Patiently, Connor just asked her to turn around. Again, she reluctantly complied.

Strangely, the first thing Connor noticed was her shoulder blades. As she stood board straight, they scrunched together and made ripples in her smooth skin. Those ripples slowly carried down into the newly hollowed valley between her bra clasp and her back, the dainty alabaster color stark against her tanish skin. Experimentally, Connor put a chilly hand between the space. This time she didn’t shy away. She let out a sigh. A cold sort of shuddering sigh that up and left her as soon as it came. Her shoulders unlatched. And as she relaxed, the valley filled out and disappeared into the white. Quietly enamored, the android traced the area. Mary didn’t seem to object. Until he noticed the mismatched strap.

“Your bra is fastened wrong, officer.”

Knocked quickly from a zen she’d never hoped to achieve again, she almost whipped around to cover his mouth. Instead she put her hands over her ears.

“J-jeez, say that a little louder, why don’t you!”

His LED flickered yellow. “ _ Your bra strap is fas _ \--”

“ _ Connor _ !” She squeaked. The cold hands came away momentarily. “Please. Be a little quieter next time. If you’re not weirded out, then Hank certainly will be!” The android frowned and started to fix the off kilter strap, much to Mary’s embarrassment.

He murmured, “I am only assisting you. I’m sure Hank will realize this if he were to see us.” With a flick of his free hand, the clasp came undone. He saw her rush to keep the garment against her chest, though he quickly refastened it for her sake. “I certainly owe it to you, for all the effort you’ve gone to keeping me ‘healthy.’” Connor heard her snort.

“Effort.” She scoffed.

“Effort.” The android echoed, starting up her back with the fabric buttons. It was a quick and fluid motion, looping the buttons in and out in an almost weaving motion. Once again, Mary kinda regretted her inflexibility. “What is there to be so embarrassed about?” Connor asked. “Assistance is something good humans and androids offer whenever they can.”

She tried not to shuffle too much, suddenly reminded of the shirtless escapade. 

“Well, Connor, guys don’t usually go buttoning their female coworkers up in strange bathrooms.”

Yellow momentarily painted his features. “It is… a professional matter then? Would other humans assume some sort of misconduct?”

She gestured his way.

“Exactly. The only reason I see you like this is because it’s my job.” Wow that sounded weird. “I mean I-if you saw Gavin pulling a shirt over Tina’s head, what would you say?”

“Officer Chen is injured?” The middle button sort of pinched her. They both flinched.

“W-what? Oh no, Connor, not like that. I mean like… ah gosh. It’s like I’m talking to a kindergartener.”

The android’s pace slowed. “I... apologise. Is this another social etiquette rule? As in pineapple on pizza, or recognizing when to say bless you?” Mary started to chuckle.

“S-sort of.” She looked back at him. “Did Hank teach you that?”

He was reaching the last button at long last.

“He refused to speak to me if I didn’t apologise for leaving him ‘on read.’”

The officer winced. “Ooh, yeah, don’t do that.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Duly noted.” The last button closed shut, so he let his hands rest against her back a little longer.

“Though, I don’t think little things like that are as big of a deal as seeing me… like that. Sorry.”

He flashed another small smile, tapping her shoulder for her to turn around. 

“Oh!” She looked herself over in the mirror. Giving him a little enthusiastic twirl, she returned the grin. The outfit suited her much better than neon green. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

BAM BAM BAM.

Startled, she bumped back into her patient’s chest.

The loud knocks on the door were followed by a gruff burp. It was only Hank.

“If you two are done canoodling in there, I’m about to start my five minutes and I’ve already finished my motivation!”

 

Immediately, Mary jumped into a little panicked salute and left the bathroom. Sumo and Hank trudged in to take her place. To finally ready themselves for the long night ahead.

Connor glanced in the mirror. All this buttoning and twisting. He smoothly adjusted a few stray strands of hair. A moment passed. While the android fiddled with his locks and Sumo drank out of the toilet bowl, the rest of his outfit came clearer into view. It wouldn’t be long before they’d leave; and in a nightclub full of people, his androidian attire would single him out to any risky character within a twenty foot radius. He supposed grey was starting to drag on him. A little... ivory wouldn’t hurt. Just for the investigation. If they were getting ready, why shouldn’t he?

He went to take after the humans.

-

Ghetto sophistication oozed from the very crevices of the Sunset Lounge’s walls. A sort of special aura of danger, bouncy music and rat poisoning that you only get from uncomfortably refined restaurants and washed up bachelorette parties. Yellowed concrete gleamed across the street under a film of stunning red spotlights. Even from the car, the tantalizing smell of cocktail sauce flooded in through the AC vents. Savory and tangy. A smell so uncomplimentary to the stale scent of Hank’s spilled whiskey.

The old man leaned over the wheel with a gruff scowl. Last time he and his partner hit up a club, he almost got a stiletto stabbed through his shoulder. Though beside him, the android looked like he was itching to get in. That anonymous tip had been on his bionic mind for the last week. 

Hank craned his neck. Not much of a line out front; though whether that was a good or bad thing, they’d have to go in and find out.

“Mary gotten here yet?”

His answer was instant. “She’s in the other side of the corner. Parking is scarce.”

Hank grunted, taking the car keys into his pocket. 

“We can wait for her outside. She’s a big girl.” They left the car. The two walked into the  lazy street and onto a new expanse of pavement. Up close, it smelled even stronger of sauce and alcohol. 

“Hank?”

He turned to see the distracted android’s unsure expression. “Is my outfit right for this part of the investigation?”

The man scoffed, jostling his friend’s shoulder with a frown.

“Connor, you look like a million bucks. It’s me who needs to worry.” 

Connor begrudgingly took his word for it, grabbing for his lucky coin and starting to roll it over his knuckles. Hank didn’t mind. As long as he wasn’t ‘ _ ting!’- _ ing it around like a noisy bullet. Mary didn’t wait around to find them and hurry inside. In line they readied themselves; their permits and badges stuck someplace close and guarded, while their socks rubbed uncomfortably against the backs of their shoes. 

The bouncer opened the red doors with a tight smile on her face. Heat and sweat suddenly engulfed their faces like cheap flames. On an unrelated note, Hank saw coffee grounds in her teeth as they passed into the hellish gates. He grimaced and wedged himself into the Sunset Lounge.

-

Mary had never been to an upscale, bouncy club before. In fact, she didn’t know they still thrived outside of shady android sex clubs, (which were thankfully starting to be closed down.) In her head, she pictured them as sophisticatedly goofy dinner parties with hard techno music and maybe some neon strippers. Clubs still had strippers right? If she’d explained that to someone out loud she would probably realize how silly that seemed, but she didn’t exactly think about the authenticity of five minute strip club scenes in random action movies. She didn’t think she’d ever need to.

And then they got thrown in. 

The air was salty and humid. At least seventy people, all moving at different speeds, were either jiving or gyrating in every possible fashion. All around them. Reds, blacks, blues and yellows dashed in and out of their faces. Some at drunk peace and others scrunched in excitement. The smell of sweat and vodka crept in and out of detection, creating the most confusing excitement Mary’d ever felt. A strange sensation overloaded her senses. She could barely see, and yet she was aware of every little thing around her. She could hardly hear over the obnoxious music, and yet she felt herself drifting into a lulled state. Like she was on laughing gas. That was just it. 

Merely stepping in, one could tell how utterly intoxicating the Sunset Lounge really was. 

It felt like forever before she realized where she’d been walking.

“Mary?”

The android nudged her arm worriedly. The mission bled back into her mind, and she stumbled forward, a bar that wasn’t there before catching her fall. Not that it mattered when Connor’s hands caught her by the shoulders. She slowly looked up at him, her elbow propping up on the bar. Again, she heard Connor fussing, but he set her down on a stool. Still fussing. And she took some deep breaths. And she sighed. Beside her, there was a loud clap against the counter. She flinched.

“You’re alright.” Hank said, sinking a lower in his stool. Then he looked to Connor, who was leaning over her like a concerned vulture. “She’s fine.” When she peered up and assured the android she’d be okay, Hank continued, “It’s tough when you’ve never heard anything much louder than a pair of pink headphones.” He turned and let the girl settle in her seat, surveying the bar with his trained eyes.

It was time they set to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who stuck with this fic, I’m sorry I haven’t had much time to work on this. The school library has been my saving grace, and I’m ecstatic to finally publish this monster. It’s grossly unedited, so if anyone sees anything that needs correcting, please let me know! Thank you all so much. Your support, as always, means the world to me.


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